Beirut, Lebanon—Every year the UN International Day of Peace is celebrated worldwide. The idea behind this day is to never give up on the vision and dream of realizing peace in the world. Thinking of how to give hope and inspiration to the refugees in Lebanon who have been victims of war and are living in difficult conditions, UPF-Lebanon and the Lebanese American University (LAU) decided to organize a Festival of Peace in a Syrian refugee camp on September 21, 2016 to commemorate this day.
Thanks to donations it received from families in Germany and Austria through UPF’s chapters in those countries; the International Relief Friendship Foundation (IRFF) in Germany; and EcoMENA, a Lebanese company, UPF-Lebanon could organize a wonderful Lebanese-style barbeque. More than 10 students from different universities volunteered to do the cooking. The refugees, especially the children, were inspired by the music that was performed by a guitarist and violinist.
The children were delighted to spend time with the students from the LAU campus in Byblos (a city 20 miles north of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon), who were accompanied by Mr. Ramzy Khoury from the Office of the Dean of Students. Just looking at their smiling faces, one could see how uplifting it was for the children to meet the students, who played with them and gave them undivided attention. When the children saw all the toys that were collected by LAU Byblos, they became so excited that they wanted to grab a toy as quickly as possible.
UPF-Lebanon was able to create an unforgettable experience for the more than 300 refugee families and children. The most noble activity one can do is to give hope and a helping hand to fellow human beings who are in a difficult and struggling situation. It is this act of kindness that brings out the true humanity within us.
UPF-Lebanon thanks its sponsors, as well as the students and staff from LAU and other universities who joined it in celebrating the International Day of Peace with and in giving hope for a brighter future to the Syrian refugee families.