"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Make Me Smile International (MMSI) is a non-profit organisation based in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Since 2012 Make Me Smile International holds the certificate for tax deductibility in Austria. In 2020 the non-profit status/tax exemption was also granted for Germany and Switzerland. In cooperation with local partner organisations MMSI is active in Kenya, Colombia and Lebanon.

Himaya

Himaya – Pour l’innocence en danger

Himaya is a Lebanese specialized NGO working in the child protection sector, to prevent violence against children and offer the support needed for abused children on a psychosocial and legal level. Himaya was founded in 2008 and is active all over Lebanon.

Himaya – Pour l’innocence en danger – For the endangered innocence

Child abuse is a critical issue that has long been neglected in Lebanon. A study conducted in 2008, showed that 1 out of 6 children in Lebanon is a victim of a form of sexual violence. This refers to only 1 out of 4 types of abuse a child can be exposed to: physical abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

​In light of these alarming results, himaya was founded in 2008 with the notification number 748/2009. The organization has continued to grow, responding to child protection needs on a national level. The dedicated & multidisciplinary team of professionals covers all Lebanese territory with offices in Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, North Lebanon, and the Bekaa; ensuring accessible services to children across Lebanon.

In order to achieve its mission, himaya works with children as well as their families and the environment as a whole. himaya strives for a radical change on a national level in order to improve the lives of children in Lebanon.

Emergency relief after the explosion in Beirut

On the 4th of August 2020 a devastating explosion hit Beirut, the capital of Lebanon – a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored in the port of the city of Beirut exploded. The explosion killed more than 200 people, injured more than 6,000 while 9 are still missing. More than 300,000 people lost their homes and 15 billion US dollars worth of property damage was caused.

In October 2019 a revolution began in the country, due to the socio economic situation in the country. In addition, the country has been struggling with a refugee crisis for years, as it has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world.

With the COVID 19 pandemic (Lebanon has had over 120,000 cases with 950 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic), the situation has been further aggravated. All this has significantly increased the vulnerability of the people Himaya works with.

The explosion that took place that day had a serious impact on the lives of the entire population, especially children. UNICEF estimates that the number of children affected has reached 100,000. This does not include those suffering from psychological consequences. 

Himaya reacted immediately.

The Himaya team is doing its utmost to help but has been living in a state of constant instability for more than a year. In their daily field work they are confronted with a very high degree of vulnerability and misery, which has enormous psychological effects on them.

Project / Intervention October – December 2020:

The explosions caused considerable trauma to thousands of people in Beirut. The vulnerable groups, including women, children and elderly people, are among the most affected. Psychosocial support, family reunification and other protection services are essential.

Himaya as a child protection actor is committed to identifying the children affected by the explosion in all regions, assessing needs at all levels and coordinating with partner organisations providing shelter rehabilitation and other needs.

Himaya, for its part, provides psychosocial support in group sessions for affected children. The children take part in the group sessions and are able to talk about what they have been through, which in turn enables the team to identify children who are severely affected by the event and need specialised support.

This component is covered by the “Safe Park” animators who have been trained by the Himaya staff (based on the Safe Park concept of NACCW South Africa). The activities are spread over a period of three months, 22 days per month, in order to reach as many children as possible. The children are supported by case management through the Himaya Resilience Programme, whereby they and their families receive psychological and social support or are referred to targeted PSS-services covered by a Unicef-funded project.

In addition, the children and their families are provided with food parcels and medical care when necessary.

After the 3 months, Himaya will continue to provide these services.

With your support of this project you enable Himaya to ensure the following:

Provide case management services to 180 affected families and their children.

Provide 100  food kits to 100 families (more than 400 individuals) affected by the blast, with focus on milk and other nutritional needs for children over 6 months.

Provide education kits to 100 families to allow their children to attend their classes

A total of USD 28,400 is still needed to meet these needs.

Please support this important work of Himaya to help the affected children in severe need!

Donation target

4.808€
25.000€

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