Middle East: ‘When you can’t find joy, create it’

To celebrate this Christmas, ACN is providing 45,000 gifts to needy children in Syria and Lebanon.

This year, 35,000 children in Syria and 10,000 children in Lebanon will receive urgently needed clothing for Christmas.  Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is sending over $530,000 to these two countries, so they can bring joy and comfort to the children on Christmas Eve and show them they have not been forgotten.

In both countries, clothes are almost unobtainable. Sister Annie Demerjian of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary, who has worked on this project with ACN for years, laments, “Many families here can only dream of new clothes! These days, to buy a pair of trousers, a shirt, and shoes in Syria, you need two months of minimum wage.”

Because of the war and the country’s dramatic economic crisis, ACN has supported this initiative since 2015. And in Lebanon, the initiative was introduced three years ago.  This year, Lebanese religious orders working on the project have adopted a motto: “When you can’t find joy, create it.”

Sister Raymonda Saada, from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Lyons in Lebanon, worked on this initiative last year. Thanks to her skilful management, she got Christmas presents for 11,000 children, instead of the planned 10,000. The gifts were distributed during Christmas celebrations for families. And like last year, many young volunteers will support Sister Raymonda in getting the children ready for Christmas with songs, prayers, and biblical reenactments.

“Despite the war and the difficult situation, around 500 children in southern Lebanon will also receive presents,” says Sister Raymonda. “In my prayers, I never forget ACN benefactors. WIthout you, we would not be able to achieve anything. Thank you for believing in this project. You and all your donations made this dream a reality. We are sure that Jesus Christ is blessing you, wherever you re. And with every present, and with every smile of a child, you are receiving a special grace. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

—Sina Hartert