Helping to construct Safe Centres for Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Roscommon Lions Club is organising its Inaugural Charity Walk fundraiser (5km/10km) for the construction of Safe Centres for Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and for other Lions Club charities on Sunday, 9th of April (Psalm Sunday) at 2 pm from Hannon’s Hotel, Roscommon Town.
Registration is €10/individual and €20/family. Lebanon is much smaller than Ireland with a population of 4.5 million but it has around two million Syrian refugees. Of the two million refugees half of these are children of 3-8 years of age who have been traumatised by six years of Civil War in Syria. 300,000 of them do not have any schooling.
Under the leadership of the Norwegian Lions Clubs, Safe Centres are being constructed in Lebanon, modelled on UNICEF Safe Centres, which will accommodate children and provide basic education and health care to them. The Safe Centres will act as primary health centres with resident psychologists and nurses. Safe Centre supervisors will provide instruction to prepare children for schooling in public schools.
The cost of building a Safe Centre is approximately €100,000 – the cost of running a centre for a year is about the same. Each Safe Centre comprises of a number of classrooms, nutrition and health centre and a play area. It takes 10-12 personnel to run a centre each day, taking in two shifts per day of 200-300 children per shift.
While Lions Clubs in the UK and Scandinavia are also fundraising for these centres, Lions Clubs in Ireland have set a target of funding the construction and running of one centre.
Noel Connolly, Roscommon Lions Club said: “As is the case with all Lions Club charity events – whether locally nationally or internationally – 100% of the funds raised will go directly to the project.
“We welcome any support we can get and would encourage the entire community and county to take part in the event. The walk will be very much a family event supporting destitute Syrian families in the Bekaa Valley Northern Lebanon.”
For more information follow the event on Roscommon Lions Club facebook page.
