Lebanon (MNN) – Israel and Lebanon exchanged more rocket fire last week, with no end in sight for the regional conflict. Meanwhile, ministries in Lebanon are helping to give children hope for the future.
More than two million children in Lebanon, both from Lebanese and refugee families, are unable to go to school. Learn in this story how Lebanon’s economic difficulties have made education inaccessible to so many. But there is hope. Heart For Lebanon currently serves 1200 young students in need, says co-founder Camille Melki.
“Those are underprivileged kids, children at risk, that are getting proper education but are also learning in a safe and loving environment,” says Melki.
The educational programs of Heart For Lebanon care for children who lack opportunities of many kinds. Students in the H.O.P.E. program, which stands for Helping Overcome Poverty through Education, learn standard academic subjects along with a biblical foundation.
Melki says, “They’re not only getting the academics but they’re also being exposed to the Gospel for the first time.”
The ministry also runs a mobile outreach, Hope on Wheels, visiting communities with fun activities and biblical messages for children. The Hope on Wheels outreach offers additional clubs that children can attend for small group discussion and further growth.
Melki says, “Unless we provide good education and wonderful character formation that is biblically based, Christ centered, those children could be influenced by radical Islamists, by fanatic individuals.”
Extremist groups often exploit and recruit youth who don’t have any other hope. At-risk children suffering from poverty and lacking education are common targets for trafficking and abuse. Ministries such as Heart For Lebanon intervene at the critical time and offer a brighter alternative: the way of Jesus.
“Heart For Lebanon’s goal is to raise the next generation to be followers of Jesus Christ after God’s own heart,” says Melki.
Pray for the children and youth in Heart For Lebanon’s programs to receive the Gospel and find abundant life in Jesus. Sign up to join Heart For Lebanon as a prayer partner here. To financially support the children’s programs, you can give at this link.
Photos courtesy of Heart For Lebanon.
