Fratelli Libano: A second chance amidst the war

Imagine waking up every morning to the sound of bombs and the uncertainty of war. This is the sound heard by our Lasallian pupils in Lebanon and the children of the Fratelli Libano Project, our socio-educational centre offering a second chance to Syrian refugee children, teenagers and young people.

Many of them have been living through the harsh realities of war their whole lives, ever since they were forced to flee their homes due to the civil war and arrived in Lebanon, a small country that has taken in millions of refugees. Many families still live in refugee camps or in makeshift accommodation, without safe spaces or schools for their children.

“The Fratelli Libano Project was launched in 2016, in partnership with the Marist Brothers, specifically with the aim of providing education to children displaced by war, particularly from Syria, Palestine and Iraq”, says Brother Carlos Pérez Garnica, originally from Mexico, who joined the project six months ago, taking on the role of Logistics Manager.

After 10 years of commitment to the refugee population and the most vulnerable Lebanese communities, the Fratelli Lebanon Project welcomes around a thousand children, teenagers, young people and adults every year, offering training programmes to help them integrate into the education system, make up for the years lost due to the war, train for new jobs, learn English and rebuild the lives that the conflict took from them.

“At the Fratelli Project, one of the most important things is that the education we provide to the children is of a high standard”, asserts Brother Carlos. “Unfortunately, these children have not had the opportunity to join the Lebanese education system, but here at Fratelli we try to ensure they study at a level appropriate to their age, learn everything they need to know, and acquire life skills”. 

However, “this education is not just for children; we also support young people and adults through vocational training”, adds Brother Carlos. Even the students’ mothers take part in support programmes to ensure the healthy development of their babies.

But Fratelli is not just classrooms for learning. It offers sports and play areas, gardens, meeting places where friendships are nurtured, psychological support, guidance groups… it is a place where people learn to smile again.

Even today, amidst a crisis marked by war, the work of the De La Salle Brothers and the Marist Brothers continues unabated: “We keep adapting so that we can continue to provide aid and education”. “One of the main challenges we currently face is the need to be creative in the midst of the war we are experiencing, so that education continues to reach our children, young people and adults”, concludes Brother Carlos. In this way, they will be able to continue to have a second chance!

The Fratelli Libano Project is part of the solidarity project 1LaSalle. We invite you to support this initiative through our non-profit organisation, the La Salle Foundation.

* Content produced in partnership between the Office of  Information and Communication of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the La Salle Foundation.