How a Munich association saves thousands of children in Lebanon

School with a peace-building effect on all families

For the children, the political conflicts and religious differences in the Middle East play no role at all, reports Jacqueline Flory. She was amazed at how quickly acquired hatred among adults disappeared through mutual contact: “We noticed what a peace-making, healing effect school has,” explains the Munich resident: “These friendships that are made at school also brought home to the family very quickly.”

Flory fears that without school education, the children would be easy victims for extremist rat catchers. The radical Islamic Hezbollah dominates the country and has been firing rockets at Israel from Lebanon since the start of the war in the Middle East. If Lebanon were to be drawn into the war, it would be a catastrophe for everyone in the country, says Jacqueline Flory: “Terrible and very dangerous things that are relevant to world security are currently happening in Lebanon and Syria.”

Serious development policy for peace in the Middle East

The most important thing from her point of view: the people of both countries must get the feeling that German foreign and development policy really wants to help locally. That there could be another solution than a rubber dinghy heading to Europe.

“There are definitely peace-building measures there, we see that again and again in our schools,” emphasizes Flory: “Children of different nationalities and religions who are actually at war with each other in the Middle East grow up together.” Through learning together, lots of conversations and discovering commonalities, this doesn’t happen in a clinch, but as a community. This approach would only have to be taken to heart by much larger players than a small club from Munich.