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A Quarterly Newsletter by the Lebanese Youth of the Order of Malta
THE LEBANESE YOUTH POST #05
April ‘11
Éditorial
Samedi 26 mars, les Dames et Chevaliers, les Jeunes, les
responsables des différents centres, les administratifs et
techniciens... toutes ces fourmis ouvrières aimantes ont pu,
peut-être pour la première fois, découvrir l’Ordre.
Nous en avions tous connu une ou plusieurs parties, avions
vécu quelques-unes des expériences dans lesquelles il nous a
entrainé, avions servi, chacun à sa manière, notre Seigneur à
travers lui... Mais le connaissions-nous vraiment? L’avions-nous
déjà rencontré?
Son histoire nous avait été racontée, sa devise expliquée, sa
mission rapportée... mais nous n’avions pas encore vu, en face,
tous ces visages qui le constituaient.
Dans cet amphithéâtre, des dizaines d’électrons libres dispersés
sur le terrain se sont enfin retrouvés, et l’Ordre s’est, en
quelque sorte, révélé a nous. Il s’est présenté, tout simplement.
Il nous a montré son réel caractère, son travail, ses forces et
ses faiblesses, ses doutes et ses convictions, ses désirs et ses
ambitions... et nous l’avons écouté, en famille.
Nous avons compris toute la force de l’Ordre en 5 × 7 minutes
chrono! D’un point de vue historique grâce au Baron Guerrier de
Dumast, puis dans son dynamisme actuel grâce au Président M.
Marwan Sehnaoui, L’ambassadeur M. Patrick Renauld, Dr. Issa
Ferekh, M. Paul Saghbini, ainsi que les Jeunes, Lélia El Khazen
et Patrick Jabre. Après une pause café, M. Jean-Louis Mainguy
nous a révélé la dimension de la Foi dans cette association,
puis nous a présenté un menu de pèlerinages: la spiritualité,
nous pouvons tous y goûter!...
Repas, en famille, à la cafeteria, avant de se diviser en groupe,
pour mieux réfléchir ensemble... et puis se retrouver et partager les
ébauches de réponses aux questions que l’Ordre s’est posées!
Ce séminaire était, sans aucun doute, un moment fort pour
chacun de nous. Nous avons pu voir qu’un même engagement,
pour une même cause, au sein d’une même association, revêt
sur le terrain des milliers de visages... et en ce 26 mars, ces
visages, nous les avons rencontrés; et c’est ensemble que
nous allons continuer à servir nos Seigneurs les pauvres et les
malades...en famille.
Dominique Tabet
Volontaire libanaise
“I ask you not what is your color, your language, your race or your religion but tell me what your sufferance is”
AN OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITIES
Our First Lebanese Friendships
By Therese von Alten, German volunteer
A Touch of Youth in the Elderly of Ain El Remmaneh
By Tatiana Ghanem and Nathalie Akkaoui, Lebanese volunteers
It was our first day in Lebanon and the three of us were
already overwhelmed by the many impressions of our journey.
When we arrived to the winter camp of 3 days in Chabrouh,
to be held with the boys of Deir el Salib, we entered a room full of
strange noises.
We were immediately intrigued by the
idea of the parrainage program when
it was first shared with us, and were
existed about the idea of getting to know
better the elderly of Ain el Remaneh, that we
usually meet once a month. And so we had
our first encounter with Habouba and Zakiye
one afternoon in the old neighborhood of
Ain el Remmaneh. The pleasant cook Oum
Therese joined us that afternoon to show us
around and to guide us to the houses of the
two women we were looking forward to meet.
Then we met the boy we were to stay with for the whole camp, for
me the first meeting with a severely handicapped person.
When meeting non-handicapped persons, there are many behavioral
rules, we naturally respect to, without knowing we do. This is only
noticed when meeting a handicapped person, because they would
not. These boys would instantly kiss, hug, slap or seem to ignore
you. This can be very disturbing at first, but then it gives yourself
the possibility to find out new, beautiful ways of communicating
and understanding one another, sometimes even without words.
We spent 3 very nice, cold, but sunny days, in Chabrouh, had a
costume party and even a Olympiade.
The objective was to spend some time with
them, get to know them, understand their
needs and give them the feeling that they are
not alone. We took with us a package that
included basic food and sanitary products
that were gathered from generous donations.
We spent a lovely time and Habouba and
Zakiye were delighted to welcome us.
We were initially shocked by the poor
What started with an exhausting, going to the limit of our comfortzones experience, soon turned into friendship, a very different
friendship from the ones we might have had before.
As the boys left the camp and from then on everytime we leave Deir
el Salib, I am both relieved and already missing them.
Caravan Camp: A Communication Experience
Union-Jacked Chabrouh
The Caravan camp organized on February 2011 was maybe
the third or fourth camp I attended as a full volunteer. I had
already got the chance to know the children, and the girls from
Deir el Kamar… But I honestly think that nothing would’ve or could’ve
prepared me to meeting the boys. Still, a couple of “shock” hours
later, after I got the time to familiarize myself with all the boys and
specially with the one I was looking after, I started to feel completely
different about them. Unlike other “normal” people, they are so
sweet, so loving that they don’t even need words to communicate
their feelings of affection or happiness to the person taking care of
them. I will never ever forget how heart lifting it felt when my guest
first caressed my hand as I was sitting next to him on the mattress.
And all around me, each and every volunteer had similar emotional
experiences. Also, as I got to know the boys more and more, I realized
that most of them showed these feelings even when random people
took the time to be gentle, smile at them, or make them laugh.
On a rainy day in September, I met
up with John whom I had met two
months earlier at the international
Maltese holiday camp. John had just come
back from his first camp in Chabrouh and
wanted to speak with me. Gathered around
a drink at the Anglesea in London, John
suggested we should form a team and head
to Lebanon next summer.
If all goes according to plan, we will be
heading to Chabrouh with a team of around
10 volunteers from the 2nd of July until the
17 th of July. During this first camp, the
Lebanese Youth with the assistance of the
German Youth, will be training us to manage the camp. Starting 2012, and for many
years to come, we will be running the camp
during the first two weeks of July .
Perfect I thought. Back in Lebanon we had
already been vaguely discussing the idea of
opening up the camp to other countries. This
would be an opportunity not to be missed.
In parallel, and as part of the Lebanese
Youth, I have also been in touch with Quirine
from the Dutch Youth. Quirine emailed us
last week announcing she will be coming
with a team of around five or more Dutch
volunteers to attend the camp from the 10th
until the 17th of July.
By Noura Khayat, Lebanese volunteer
All in all this camp was, to say the least, a one-of-a-kind experience.
It taught me a lot, mainly how patient caring and affection can go
straight to the heart of any human being. I can confidently say that
this brought joy to the boys as much as to the volunteers, and that a
lot was learned from both sides. Can’t wait for the next camp!
By Bernard Dahdah, Lebanese volunteer
A few days later, the first unofficial meeting
was toasted with glasses of Musare, courtesy of John. Anton, Blair, John, his two
brothers Kit and Peter, and I, decided to
establish the “Camp Lebanon” project as
part of the British Order of Malta Volunteers
(OMV). Fast forward, after many meetings
and emails, back and forth with Lebanon,
we submitted to the OMV our final proposal
in March and got the official thumbs up by
the end of the month.
This first time, they will be exploring what
the camp is about. We hope that the
Dutch team, like the U.K. team, will decide to come regularly and run the camp in
the years to come.
conditions of their houses and the lack
of essential necessities such as heating
and hot water, especially that we were in
the middle of the winter. But what truly
touched us was the loneliness that they
face every minute of their day. They were
so happy to greet us and they kept offering
us something to drink and eat with the
little that they have. We realized that what
they were really looking for is to have some
company, have someone to talk to. They
loved the fact that we were young because
they started flash backing their own youth
and telling us fun stories.
It was a really pleasant afternoon and we
are sincerely looking forward to our next
visit. We will try to bring as much as we
can to these strong and generous women,
by especially showing them that they are
not alone, and can count on us to be there
whenever they will need us.
LES JEUNES À L’ORDRE
Statement from the Caravan
By Nicholas Wingfield Digby, British volunteer
To those who have never before worked with, or understood
the point of working with, handicapped people it often seems
surprisingly difficult to describe comprehensibly the worth
of a project whose principal aim is to emotionally improve the lives
of people who are, in many senses, our opposites. Reactions to my
description of the Caravan Project vary, but people mostly just want
to hear about Beirut’s nightlife (and they couldn’t have chosen a
more inappropriate person to ask). Despite this, I think it will be
interesting to observe how the Caravan Project’s reputation develops
as its work continues in Lebanon: it is an exciting programme,
prioritising ‘service to the sick’, but also integrating its participants
into Lebanon’s life and culture for five months, with private lessons
in Arabic, university courses in Lebanon’s socio-politics and religions
and, perhaps most importantly, the opportunity to make and develop
friendships with the excellent Lebanese people.
This underpins an extensive timetable of service: Monday is
Deir el Qamar, working with the ‘girls’ in a lovely home; on the
remaining days of the week we visit the ‘boys’ at Deir el Salib.
We play with them, talk to them, sing to them, take them outside
to bask in Beirut’s afternoon sun (an otherwise very seldom
outing); impromptu birthday parties have been organised, when
sufficient bravery is summoned, Saint Dominique resounds with
the lyrics of bizarre German folk songs; the boys are delighted
by even these small changes in what can otherwise be a routine
and plain atmosphere. The carers at Saint Dominique (working at
an unattractive ratio of roughly 7 carers to 60 boys) are grateful
for the extra support; we have found our experiences seriously
worthwhile and rewarding; but perhaps it is not too much to hope
that those for whom we care, the boys and girls themselves, are
the chief beneficiaries.
A special ‘Thank you’ to
Fares Aoun - Candles Factory, Tanios Beyrouthi and to
Sponsored by:
www.commercialinsurance.com.lb
“The Lebanese Youth Post” is designed by Tania Arwachan, a member of the Youth Committee. This issue is printed by Aleph Printing Press
For further information, contact: Centre de l’Association Libanaise des Chevaliers de Malte, Aïn el-Remmaneh, Liban – [email protected]