In these challenging times, let’s not forget the most vulnerable communities | Friends of Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic has spared no community. Everyone has been impacted, whether it be through strict quarantine measures – as seen in Italy or in Spain – or through social distancing and self-quarantine, as used in other parts of Europe and the world. However, it is in these trying times that the true face of humanity is revealed.

What coronavirus has brought to light is that our wellbeing is dependent on the wellbeing of others – for our loved ones to stay safe, the entire community must take precautions. Measures like staying at home, social distancing, self-isolation and taking an abundance of caution when going outside only work when we do it together.

During such times, it is also crucial to remember the communities most at risk – those without a home, without safety and without the means to protect themselves.

Read Article →

Not Just a School | SB OverSeas

Since even before the beginning of the Syrian conflict, displaced Syrians have fled to Lebanon in order to escape from war. The conflict has been ongoing for almost 10 years – meaning that the youngest children and new-borns who left the country at the beginning of the war, are now at least 10 years old. Some of these children, most of whom never started school in Syria, reached Lebanon with their families and have never experienced a classroom – instead their day-to-day consists of through the streets of an urban camp, or across villages of tents, on their way to working on the street, rather than going to school. For this reason, SB OverSeas in 2013 opened an education and empowerment centre in one of the largest informal refugee settlements in Beirut in order to create places for these children to finally enter the classroom. It is the lives of these children, their siblings, families and wider community that is the subject of this report.

Read Article →