Prologue
Welcome to our inaugural issue of Seeds of Hope. The purpose of this quarterly newsletter is keep you informed about the progress and challenges of EOL in Lebanon. As EOL volunteers, we are not professional journalists, but we intend to bring you critical information and interesting stories that will keep you engaged with our overall mission to help the children of Lebanon. The focus of each newsletter will be on them and their needs. We will also highlight many contributors and supporters, both in the US and Lebanon, who support their educational and social progress. We also want to hear from you, our readers, at EOLNewsletter@gmail.com for comments and ideas on future topics and how to improve our newsletter.
We believe that our newsletter name fits well with the EOL mission. Beautiful rose bushes start as seeds, as do distinctive trees like cedars and redwoods that adorn the landscape. Mustard seeds grow into large havens for birds, and vegetable plants nourish us. But seeds can’t do it alone. They need help from nature and the human investment of time and care. Our Lebanese children are the seeds of that country’s next generations. Only with our time and investment can they escape the terrible conditions that the country faces today and become Lebanon’s future doctors, engineers, musicians, and God willing, leaders who will form Lebanon’s renaissance in the not-to-distant future. They are our Seeds and this is our Hope.
We look forward to the day when Lebanon finally restores stability to its government and economy and the educational aspirations of each child are realized. At that point, EOL will have achieved its mission, and we will be able to write the Epilogue to our last Newsletter.
Paul Korkemaz
Editor
Donor Spotlight: Rudy Seikaly
Rudy Seikaly is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist with more than 33 years of experience leading businesses and creating shared value in local communities in the U.S. and abroad. A refugee from Lebanon wounded as a teen during the civil war, Mr. Seikaly is now co-founder and CEO of MCN Build, Inc., a purpose-driven construction company headquartered in Washington, DC.
Rudy was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and came to the U.S. during the civil war when he was 15, not speaking any English. Rudy initially lived with his aunt and her family in Syracuse, New York before attending boarding school in Massachusetts, where he made his transition from a child of war to American Literature.
Rudy credits this education for transforming his life.
He went on to earn his B.S. in Engineering Technology from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and began his career working on construction projects in New York City’s underground subway tunnels, then moved to the Washington, DC area, where he worked on a multitude of land development and home building projects.
In 1994, Rudy moved back to Lebanon, determined to participate in the rebuilding of the Beirut Central District (BCD). Through his company Hi-Tec Cements (HTC), he took the lead in the unimaginable task of reconstructing the war-torn city, working on some of the most complex structural rehabilitations, historic restorations, and geotechnical projects, before returning to Washington DC in 2000.
Since launching MCN Build in 2007, he has built more than 6 Million square feet of state-of-the-art community projects, while staying true to its mission of giving back by launching the MCN Build Foundation, which supports educational projects in underprivileged areas around the world. The Foundation leverages MCN Build's construction expertise to make the world a better place, gifting community-focused projects in Lebanon, Ethiopia, El Salvador, and the United States.
Rudy's relationship with EOL began with an email. A few weeks before Christmas 2014, EOL received an urgent request for 150 blankets and bedding for children in an orphanage and school in Mrouj in the Mount Lebanon area. This mountain region was experiencing an exceptionally cold winter, and the MCN Build foundation provided the funding for the entire purchase. During his next visit to Lebanon, he took the time to visit the orphanage and school and was compelled to do more. EOL requested Rudy's help with more projects, and he has since provided a matching fund to EOL, thus doubling its fundraising capacity.
The MCN Build Foundation benefits greatly from EOL's and CNEWA's excellent advice when it invests in Lebanese social projects. Rudy says, "Having boots on the ground provides me with key insights into the people's needs, and we at the MCN Build Foundation are very grateful for the relationship with EOL and CNEWA."
In 2016, EOL partnered with MCN Build on a significant facility repair at the Blessed Sacrament Orphanage in Beir Habbakt. The Chris ‘Loops’ Seikaly foundation has also provided food and medicines in Lebanon via CNEWA.
As we concluded our interview, Rudy expressed the critical importance of supporting Lebanon now.
He believes that the 11 Million Lebanese living outside the country can help support the situation for the 3 Million people remaining. "This is our time to rally for the renaissance of Lebanon."
Updates from the Field
Lebanon: A country in crisis
“The economic and financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century” (1)
“The effect on prices have resulted in surging inflation, averaging 84.3 percent in 2020. Subject to extraordinarily high uncertainty, real GDP is projected to contract by a further 9.5 percent in 2021.” (2)
“Estimates reveal that more than 55% of Lebanon’s population is now trapped in poverty and struggling for bare necessities.…” (3)
“With the unemployment rate on the rise, an increasing share of households is facing difficulty in accessing basic services, including health care.” (4)
“The U.N. says poverty now affects more than three quarters of the population” (5)
“More than a million children in Lebanon have been out of school since COVID-19 arrived…”(5)
“Lebanon once provided the fourth best math and science education in the world, according to a 2016 World Economic Forum report” (5)
Due to the devaluation of Lebanese currency, it only costs $150 to pay a child's tuition for an entire year. (6)
Footnotes:
World Bank Lebanon Economic Monitor (LEM) (Spring 2021)
World Bank Lebanon Economic Monitor (LEM) (Spring 2021)
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
World Bank
naharnet
Michel Constantin/CNEWA Lebanon
Meet Sister Mary
Sister Mary Nassar is the principal of Our Lady of Lebanon – Antonines Sisters School in Rmeich, a village in the District of Bint Jbeil near the Israeli border occupied since Roman times.
In 2019, EOL provided a grant of $8,000 for scholarships for ten students in need.
What is your name and title or position?
My name is Sister Mary Nassar. I am the principal of Our Lady of Lebanon – Antonines Sisters School in Rmeich and I’m the superior of the convent at the same school.
How long have you been educating Lebanese children?
I have been educating Lebanese children since 1975.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I belong to the Antonine’s Sister Order. Our mission is to live among the people of God and performs substantial educational, medical, social, artistic, and pastoral functions. My main mission stands on pastoral and education work.
What level of education does your organization provide? (e.g., pre-K, K-8, High School, or all levels)
The level of education provided by the institution: kindergarten classes until Complementary Classes.
Where is your school located in Lebanon?
Our school is located in the south of Lebanon, Caza of Bint Jbeil, in the town of Rmeich. The town of Rmeich is situated on the borders of the blue line.
How many total students do you educate, and how many fellow teachers do you have?
The total of our students: 565 We have 43 teachers
Has the children's eagerness to learn been negatively affected by the various crises in the country?
Sadly, our children have been through a lot lately from the economic crisis to the deterioration of the internal security order. It is what caused our pupils a kind of disorder in their psychological health. Today our pupils are distracted, scared, and worried of the unknown destiny of their country’s school and home
What are the top 2 or 3 most immediate educational needs of your students?
The top most immediate educational needs of our students:
Computer equipment: We lack new computers adapted to current technological needs. These are necessary and even essential tools for us to be able to do our job. Indeed, the health situation imposed by Covid-19 presents us with a very big challenge: distance education. Thus, this material will allow us to accomplish our mission. Unfortunately, we are sorely lacking in financial resources.
Financial support: As you know very well from the media, Lebanon is going through a very severe economic crisis. The Lebanese pound is losing much of its value against the dollar. As a result, families who already suffer from a difficult financial situation (and who are numerous in our school), can no longer afford their children's school fees. The little money they earn is used to pay for food and medicine, so they can survive. Hence, it becomes difficult, almost impossible, to pay the salaries of teachers and staff who, in turn, have families to support.
What would you like to say to yourEOLsupporters in the USA?
I’d like to say thank you for the initiative. As detailed in their application, our school provides good education to the people in the town of Rmeich which is currently suffering from this abnormal situation; your support is essential for the school to keep its doors open and be able to pay for the fellow teachers. People of this town can barely afford their daily needs so they couldn’t fully pay the school’s fees. Your support would be greatly appreciated.