In Lebanon, 18% of the student population and specifically 180,000 students attend parochial schools. These schools are currently in crisis as Lebanon is facing economic turmoil with 78% of people under the poverty line in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. The revenue Catholic schools made from tuition was around $500 million before this economic crisis began in 2019. Now it has fallen to $45 Million. Students are not able to pay school tuition and need financial assistance to stay in school.
With this cause in mind, EOL partnered with CNEWA-PM with the goal of raising money to pay the tuition fees for needy students attending 14 parochial schools. This project also provided teachers and staff with much needed financial assistance and helped the schools with their operating expenses.
The MCN Build Foundation generously provided a $550,000 donation to fund this project. With this money working as a sponsorship, schools agreed to reduce the $270 student fees by $165 for disadvantaged students, making school much more affordable for students in Lebanon. In addition, MCNBuild completely sponsored around 600 students, paying for their entire tuition. Additionally, part of the $550,000 went to giving the teachers and staff $50 per month and funding utilities and operating expenses.
The 14 schools are located in different areas of Lebanon. The schools are located in: Deir el Ahmar, Terbol, Jezzine, Baalbeck, Hammana, Adonis, Hrajel, Ghazir, the Dora suburb of Beirut, Beit Habbak, Jbeil, and Bourj Hammoud.
The MCN Build Foundation donation was the largest EOL has received to-date. It showed students, teachers, staff and families associated with the schools that someone cares. It gave them much needed relief from their difficult financial situations and allowed for another significant year of learning. Thank you Rudy Seikaly, Bassem Boustany, and Joseph Khoury for your generosity. We deeply appreciate the work of the MCNBuild Foundation under the directorship of Michael Waidmann. You truly changed lives.
Julia Williams
Below are letters from a student and a teacher from the EOL schools thanking MCNBuild for the generous donation
