Lebanon (MNN) — In Lebanon, Alawites fleeing Syria have lost everything, including the stability their children need. A ministry is stepping in to provide education and help secure their future.
Alawite refugees face many challenges, but their greatest concern is their children’s education. Pierre Houssney of Horizons International said, “They don’t want their kids to drop out — a ‘dropout generation’ that misses out on their future because of this crisis.”
Mother and child (photo courtesy of Victor Munoz via Unsplash)
Under Bashar al-Assad and his father, the Alawite minority once held power and enjoyed high-quality schooling. Today, many refugees have almost nothing and depend on aid. In their struggle, many are open to the Gospel.
Houssney said, “We’ve helped dozens of them join local churches, and those local churches are starting to disciple them and even baptize some of them.”
Desperate to secure their children’s future, Alawite parents are turning to Horizons International for help. Houssney explained:
“We have been begged by hundreds of Alawite parents to educate their children.”
As a result, the ministry has opened a school in North Lebanon for fifty Alawite Muslim children, offering a full Christian education with their parents’ permission. “We are fulfilling the parents’ main goal for their kids,” adds Houssney.
At the opening ceremony, he reminded parents that God has not abandoned them and that He has made a way for their children to be educated even in hardship:
“We are here in this time to provide education for your kids so they can support you in the future. And you will get through this — God, through Jesus Christ, will bring you through this difficult time in your lives.”
Pray that as these fifty children begin learning, many more will gain the same opportunity. Pray also that Alawite families — whose foundations are deeply shaken — will find their hope in Christ.
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Header photo: Syrian kids (photo courtesy of Ahmed akacha via Pexels).