An unprecedented economic, political, and social crisis has been striking Lebanon and was amplified by a double explosion on August 4th, 2020 in Beirut, which caused 190 deaths, more than 6 500 casualties, and destroyed entire neighbourhoods.

The Saint Joseph Brothers School, founded in 1966, is located in the Achrafieh neighbourhood and welcomes 300 pupils of different nationalities and faith, from preschool to high school. The explosion directly affected this school which as a result is unable to welcome its students back.

This school operates on tuition fees paid by families according to their income and does not receive subsidies from the State or associations. Due to the economic crisis, nearly 90% of families are unable to pay their children's school fees. Even though teachers could not be paid for a year, they still gave their lessons out of fear of seeing the school get closed by the authorities.

After meeting the school’s team, Les Amis du Liban, Monaco Aide et Présence and AMADE, already mobilised through Les Amis du Liban’s emergency call in the wake of the explosion, decided to go further and support the Saint Joseph Brothers School to allow children from low income families, who have been severely impacted by the crisis, to find their way back to school.