News
Care by CLES 2021
As part of its continued early recovery response to the 2019 crisis in Lebanon, The Lebanese Center for Special Education (CLES) is distributing food and hygiene parcels through its initiative, Care by CLES, to approximately 32,000 beneficiaries in the country. The distribution is an effort to help ensure sufficient access to food for families who are struggling in the dismal economic situation Lebanon is currently facing.
Care by CLES started in October 2019, following a confession from one of the Centers’ students, who admitted to his speech therapist that he had not eaten in two days as there was no food in the household.
This came at a time where businesses were closing, and vulnerable families were the most affected by the situation. The pandemic soon followed and the terrible explosion that shook the whole widened the gap and increased the needs of thousands of families who were struggling to make ends meet.
“The dignity of Lebanese citizens was at stake, and we had to act.” said founder and president Carmen Chahine Debbane, “ Food is a basic right, and no child should suffer from hunger“.
CLES responded to the needs of the direct community starting with the families of its children who reside in the areas where CLES centers exist. Following an influx of requests, and with the support of Carmen and Ray Debbane and their close friends, the team of CLES volunteered their time to prepare parcels of food and hygiene for families in need, each package weighing 60KGS and covering a family’s vital necessities for 6 weeks. To date, 100,000 rations were distributed, totaling 1360 Tons of food and hygiene products.
In the spirit of caring, CLES joined forces with many local and regional NGOs to extend a helping hand and send parcels to more families in need across all regions of Lebanon.