Local churches in some of the poorest cities around the world are on the frontline of the pandemic in the Global South. Coming together in pioneering, city-wide networks, they are reaching increasingly vulnerable children and families – despite being socially distant.
Category: Middle East
Finding another way
Syrian refugee children in Lebanon are vulnerable to being exploited and forced to work. However, as Kezia M’Clelland writes, Viva and its local partner are prioritising the need for child protection and supporting them in getting an education. Refugees comprise a quarter of Lebanon’s population. This brings pressure on resources and opportunities, and Syrian families […]
Symbols of hope in Syria and Lebanon
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND It can seem on the surface that things in Syria are improving because the country is out of our mainstream news in the West. However, in fact, the situation remains very difficult and dangerous. In partnership with the Lebanon-based NGO, MERATH, we have been running three Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) inside Syria, […]
“We trust you”: the power of relationship
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND This Spring, Eastern Ghouta, 10km from the centre of Damascus, saw seven weeks of intense bombardment and destruction, in which at least 301 children lost their lives. It’s easy to feel helpless as we watch situations like this unfold and, as the fighting continues outside the headlines, it can be hard to […]
Champions!
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND The impact of equipping childcare leaders with the skills and resources to train others is hugely valuable. Kezia M’Clelland writes about how this approach is working effectively in the Middle East, in spite of ongoing instability. The risks for children living in the Middle East were starkly spelt out in February when […]
Little spaces for big change
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND “As we were leaving we became visible to terrorists and snipers started shooting at me. I was holding my son across my chest and my daughters by the hands. We were running. My son was shot. The bullet went through his shoulder to his heart… In 30 minutes I lost my son, […]
Stories from Syria
BY LIZ CROSS Dany, his wife and their three daughters live in an unfinished building in a Syrian city that has been plagued by bombs and shelling since the start of the war. Their neighbourhood has sustained heavy bombardment, which has led to many tragic deaths and serious injuries among their friends and neighbours. Unsurprisingly, […]
Threads of hope
BY KEZIA M’CLELLAND What does hope look like, and where can we find it? I’ve come to discover that hope emerges in the most unlikely of places – even in a dusty, dangerous refugee camp – and when it does it can change everything. After nearly six years of conflict, Syria’s children continue to face […]
Making peace in Syria
The stories in the news from Syria in recent weeks and months make difficult reading; it can be hard to know how to engage with a situation which seem so difficult and almost hopeless. It is in these most difficult circumstances that Viva is partnering with three teams of young leaders who are running ‘child […]
Kezia’s diary: three weeks in Lebanon
Kezia M’Clelland, Viva’s Children in Emergencies Specialist, has just arrived in Lebanon to spend another three weeks supporting local partners on the ground, equipping them with knowledge and skills to keep Syrian refugee children safe. We’ve put together a diary of her key dates with the hope that you can use it to pray for […]