Fratelli Project – Beirut, Lebanon
Fratelli Project, De La Salle and Marists Brothers – Beirut, Lebanon
The Fratelli Project is a collaboration of De La Salle – Solidarietà Internazionale and the Marist Brothers in Lebanon. It ensures that Iraqi refugees fearing religious persecution and Syrian refugees fleeing the war in Syria are given support to be able to continue their children’s education.
As many of these families are undocumented refugees, they have no access to education for their families through the public education system and therefore they require support as well as assistance to transition to the public-school system later.
Beyond looking after the youngest children, the project offers courses in literacy, information technology and sewing to young adults, with particular attention given to the inclusion of mothers of students who participate in the project activities. In this way, the accepting environment paired with the respect for children’s rights that is embraced during the Fratelli Project, continues on at home and the children are ready to transition into the public-school system later on in life.
CONTACT
De La Salle Solidarietà Internazionale ONLUS: Fratelli Project
WEBSITE
History
The Fratelli Project is the fruit of collaboration between the De La Salle Brothers and the Marist Brothers. These two Roman Catholic congregations are dedicated to the education of children and young people. They have been present in Lebanon since the end of the 19th century. Since the end of 2015, the Fratelli association has been running two socio-educational centers. One is the “Saint- Vincent de Paul School”, which operates in favor of displaced Iraqi children in Beirut. The other is the former “École Mariste de Notre-Dame de Fatima” for displaced Syrian children in Rmeileh.
The Fratelli schools welcome around 600 children aged 3 to 15 each year. They run the school program from September to July. They also offer summer programs to keep the children busy during the summer months. Teachers are trained to meet the nutritional, social, psychological and educational needs of children growing up in difficult conditions.
Mission
The mission of the De La Salle Brothers’ Fratelli project is to provide care and education for the children of Iraqi and Syrian refugee families in Lebanon. By offering a high quality education to these refugee children. They help support them during this difficult transition period. The project helps them integrate into Lebanese society and the public school system.
The project is supported by the Caritas Pro Vitae Gradu Charitable Trust
Thanks to our support, the buildings of the Rmeileh educational center have been renovated and the running costs of the 2 educational centers have been covered for 2019 as well as the running costs for 2020, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, so that their 600 pupils can continue their education.