Beirut, 05 July 2017: For the second consecutive year, BML in cooperation with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), organized an Iftar for refugee children working in the streets of Mount Lebanon. The Iftar welcomed forty-three children and their families, along with a number of volunteers from BML and IRC who took on the responsibility of caring for the children throughout the event.
This iftar was an opportunity for children to play and enjoy each other’s company. All children have the right to play, the iftar event was geared towards ensuring that street and working children who don’t have the chance to play have the rare opportunity to spend quality time with their families, have a glimpse of a normal childhood and be innocent. This gathering was also an occasion for BML and its staff to express their commitment to the community they so passionately serve.
The iftar was hosted as part of BML’s corporate social responsibility program “Be the change”, a practical translation of the Bank’s vision of achieving the desired positive change and contributing to societal and communal development at all levels.
“At BML, we are exerting a tremendous amount of effort to expand our activities within our CSR program and to support communal causes. This iftar, hosted especially for refugee children working on the streets of Mount Lebanon, is part of that same agenda”, said Fadi Daouk, Executive General Manager of BML.
He added, “Together hand in hand we can make a difference in these children’s lives and contribute to drawing smiles on their innocent faces. Their happiness has a positive impact on us all and reinforces the importance of teamwork and collective efforts in serving society.”
The International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Street Child Protection Program helps children to recover from daily traumatic experiences and to help people whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and regain control of their future. IRC ultimately hopes to take such children off the streets, facilitating access to formal schooling and securing what’s rightfully theirs, a true childhood