Fostering Education and Community in Lebanon

Madona always knew she wanted both a fulfilling career and a big family. Today, she’s doing just that. With six children—five boys and one girl—she works in management at the municipality of Deir al Ahmar, a position she worked toward for years. She has always wanted to serve her community and make it a safer place for her children. Balancing career and family is challenging, but Madona says this has been possible with the help of the Good Shepherd Sisters’ education center.

“My children love the center,” she says. “It’s where they meet their friends, finish their homework faster, and play games. We all get home around the same time now, and I can spend the afternoons fully focused on them.”

Madona Habshi sits with her daughter Mod. Madona is able to have a career because her children attend after-school activities at the Good Sheperd Sisters community center.

Photo by Stefanie Glinski for CRS

In Lebanon, pursuing a career as a mother can be difficult. Women are often expected to stay home. But Madona wanted to show her children—especially her daughter—that they could do whatever they dreamed of.

“I want my daughter to know that she can achieve whatever she wants,” Madona says. “It’s important for her to see that being a loving mother and having a career is possible.”

The education center that Madona’s children attend has been supported by CRS since 2012. Initially, it offered after-school programs for Lebanese children, but when the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, bringing waves of refugees to the Bekaa Valley, the center expanded.

“We realized we needed to offer regular schooling for Syrian children who had no other opportunity,” says Sister Rita, who runs the center alongside two fellow Good Shepherd sisters and a team of 20 local teachers. From her bright office on the school’s ground floor, Rita speaks with calm conviction.

"I’ve focused on creating a spirit of forgiveness and love. And I think that’s where we are now."

With support from CRS, the center has grown exponentially. Currently there are 305 children enrolled, half of them Lebanese and half Syrian.

The school, one of the largest buildings in the village, is filled with bright classrooms, shelves stacked with books and toys, and walls lined with colorful artwork.

“It’s the nicest school in town,” Madona says with a laugh. “And it’s such a great opportunity for Syrian children, too.”

Like Madona, Sister Rita wanted to have a career and was driven by a desire to help others. She studied to be a social worker, then joined the Good Shepherd Sisters. For years, she worked with young women in foster care. In 2014, she took over the center in Deir Al Ahmar. 

“I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” Rita says. “I’ve seen too many people, especially children, suffer. I knew I wanted to devote myself to helping others.”

Over the years, Rita has worked hard to foster a sense of unity in the community. The village, once scarred by the Lebanese Civil War, carried painful memories of conflict with Syria. Many locals had lost family members to the Syrian army’s attacks, and tensions resurfaced when Syrian refugees arrived in the area.

“People were reluctant to accept the refugees at first,” Rita explains. “But I’ve focused on creating a spirit of forgiveness and love. And I think that’s where we are now,” she says with a smile.

Madona’s 9-year-old daughter, Mod, is one of the center’s students. After school, she heads straight there before returning home to spend time with her mother. “I like it because I’ve made so many friends,” she says. “I also like the summer camp. It’s what I look forward to the most.”

And when Mod grows up? She has dreams of her own. “I want to be a doctor,” she says confidently. “I want to help people, too.”

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