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Dear partners, members and fr iends,

We are pleased to introduce you to the f irst edit ion of Car itas MONA’s bul letin. Through

this Newsletter , we hope to keep you informed about important activit ies in the region as

well as news and developments relating to the Regional Secretar iat off ice.

In this f i rst issue, you wil l have a chance to read about the events that marked our last

months of activit ies, between May and December 2015.

We seize this opportunity to sincerely thank you for the kindred spir it of cooperation and

friendship, shared during the last months of our common mission.

Sincerely yours,

Rosette Héchaïmé

Regional Coordinator, Caritas M.O.N.A

Bulletin

On the occasion of the CI General Assembly and the

regional conference of MONA in May 2015, our region

has welcomed with joy the election of Mr. Gabriel Hatti

(President of Caritas Mauritania) as President of the

MONA Region for a four-year mandate (2015-2019). The

members of the MONA Regional Commission for the next

four years are: Caritas Somalia (Mgr Giorgio Bertin),

Caritas Algeria (P. Cesare Baldi) and Caritas Syria (Mgr

Antoine Audo - also representing Caritas MONA at the

RepCo).

We welcome this new team that will accompany us for the coming years and express our deep gratitude to

Mr. Joseph Farah and the regional commission’s departing members who supported with conviction and

dedication Caritas mission in the region.

News from the Regional Secretariat

N o . 1 M a y - D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5

Presentation

Election of a new President for the MONA region

Visit our new Facebook page Caritas MONA

¨Caritas reveals the power of Christian love and the desire of the Church to reach out to Jesus in

every person, especially the poor and suffering. This is the path that lies ahead of us. With this

perspective, I hope that you will carry out your work.¨ Pope Franc i s , CI Genera l Assemb ly 2015

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Caritas Iraq, Erbil - June 2015

Bishop Antoine Audo - Member of the Regional Commission, and Rosette Héchaïmé attended an

important meeting of Caritas Iraq’s partners last June in Erbil. Participants were informed of different

field projects, especially emergency-related projects, in the northern region of Iraq. The Patriarch of the

Chaldean Church of Babylon, His Beatitude Louis Sako, received the delegation during Mass and a

dinner, and introduced Caritas to the members of the Chaldean Diaspora Committee.

Caritas Jordan- October 2015

A much-anticipated meeting took place last October in Jordan with Caritas Jordan’s partners; it was

their first gathering since the beginning of the crisis linked to the conflict in Syria. The meeting was held

in the presence of official representatives of Jordanian civil and religious authorities and Mr. Gabriel

Hatti upon his first tour as president of the MONA region.

Caritas Syria-October 2015

The Caritas Syria Working Group, the Technical Support Unit for Syria (TSU) and Caritas Syria’s partners

took part in a meeting in Lebanon, last October, to find out about the evolution of the situation in Syria

besides the humanitarian and emergency programs being implemented by Caritas Syria. Participants

were informed of the work of the teams in the different regions, the increase of staff assigned to the

mission at the heart of the conflict and the consolidation of professional skills of Caritas Syria teams.

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In Syria and Iraq, evils destroys

buildings and infrastructures but

especially the conscience of man. In

the name of Jesus, who came into the

world to heal the wounds of

humanity, the Church feels called to

respond to evil with good by

promoting an integral human

development of ¨each man and of the

whole man¨

Pope Francis-Cor Unum meeting on the

Iraqi-Syrian humanitarian crisis ]

Partnership Meetings

Caritas Iraq / Caritas Jordan /Caritas Syria

Visit of distribution activities,

North Region, Caritas Iraq Full text (Pope Francis)

Bulletin, Caritas Mona- No. 1

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National Meeting – Caritas Syria

Representatives of Caritas MONA took part last june in a meeting together with the staff and volunteers of all

operational Centers in Syria (Aleppo, Damascus, the coastal region, Homs, Latakia). 80 participants joined this

meeting which allowed them to better know each other, to share experiences and projects of the different

regions and to take part in trainings directly related to the current crisis (emergency projects management,

stress management, environmental and social impacts of wars etc.). Participants also had the opportunity to

be introduced to the Caritas network and the specific mission of the Regional Secretariat. During this event,

Bishop Audo highlighted the major shocks lived by the Christian community in the last months of the conflict, a

community that feels increasingly targeted. Those who wanted to stay are now talking about leaving. The hope

of Christians has been affected. For Caritas Syria’s teams, the question remains: how to advice families? Should

they manage the end of something or plan for the future?

The situation on the ground and in the different centers is not simple: in general, power cuts are frequent; the

internet connection is very bad. In terms of sharing of information, it is often impossible to take pictures in the

street, because it’s too dangerous, the roads are also unsafe for travel, moreover, there are obstacles

hindering collection of information, which information is often biased. Additionally, challenges are faced by

Caritas Syria employees in terms of public opinion lack of interest and declining funding for humanitarian aid.

Housing, health and food remain priorities for the whole country. Conclusion: Emergency plans are good but

they are often deployed late. Why are weapons delivered faster than humanitarian aids?

F B C a r i t a s S y r i a

CI Syria Appeal

Visit of Caritas MONA’s President to Lebanon

The new Pres ident of Car itas MONA

made h is f i r st o ff i c ia l v i s i t to Lebanon

last October. Mr . Hatt i had the

opportunity to vi s i t the President and

the Execut ive Board members o f Car itas

Lebanon to know more about the rea l i ty

and the achievements of the

organizat ion committed to severa l

humanitar ian and development projects

at the nat ional level .

Dur ing h is tour, the Pres ident of the

MONA region part ic ipated in the

inaugurat ion of the TSU (Technica l

Support Uni t ) for Syr ia , in the presence

of the Apostol ic Nuncio Gabrie le

Giordano Cacc ia and Car itas Syr ia . The

President of the M ONA region a lso met

Msgr . Samir Mazloum, a founding

member o f Car itas Lebanon , Msgr.

Michel Aoun, Delegate of the Assembly of

Catholic Patriarchs & Bishops of Lebanon and the

Apostolic Nuncio.

CRS Lebanon

Caritas Lebanon Twitter

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Bulletin, Caritas Mona- No. 1

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Credits : Caritas Lebanon

Regional Youth Project

Annual meeting MigraMED- Tunis 2015

Msgr. Giorgio Bertin represented the MONA region at

the MigraMed annual meeting held in Tunis from June

14- 18, 2015. This event brought together Caritases

around the Mediterranean affected by the migration

phenomenon. The meeting was held for the first time in

the Maghreb region, the starting point for a large

proportion of migrants in quest of better living

conditions on the northern side of the Mediterranean.

MigraMed allowed the various Caritas key-actors involved in the Migration issues to share their

experiences, exchange relevant information on the situation of migrants in their respective regions, to

develop coordinated approach and better define their commitments.

MigraMed

“I have learned how I should work and

what I should do in order to make a

change in my society”

¨This experience was for me a

fundamental school to immerse myself

in the values and principles that should

guide my commitment… a concrete

training in democracy and respect for

differences”

Excerpt from the Youth evaluation

Thirty-eight youth volunteers from Caritases in the

Middle East (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and

Jerusalem) and from different religious

denominations, gathered in Lebanon from 18-30

August for a regional meeting organized primarily

around trainings covering the following topics: Peace

Building and Conflict Resolution, Common Good and

Citizenship, Advocacy.

A community action targeting migrants (in

collaboration with Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center)

was also on the program of the regional encounter,

together with touristic visits, spiritual and cultural

activities among the youth from different countries.

This meeting is a key moment for the young

participants with the acquisition of new skills and

exchange of experiences, allowing them to renew

their commitment upon their return with better tools

and a consolidated network. The regional youth

project is in its final year of a 4-year cycle. The

strategy from the overall evaluation will be

developed to guarantee the continuation of this

highly significant project for the youth of the region,

a project strongly supported by Cor Unum.

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Bulletin, Caritas Mona- No. 1

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RepCo Caritas Internationalis *Representative Committee

The Representative Committee of CI held its fall meeting

in November in Ariccia, Italy. During the session on the

implementation of the Confederation Strategic Plan for

the next 4 years, Mr. Gabriel Hatti was elected member

of the Committee on the operational review of the

Confederation.

At another occasion, Beata Biela, from Caritas Somalia,

was elected member of the Finance Commission and Dr.

Sami Aldeeb Abu-Sahlieh, from Caritas Jerusalem,

member of the Legal Commission of CI.

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OHCHR

CI - Human trafficking

●●● MEETING ON THE IRAQI- SYRIAN

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS- Cor UNUM

A meeting on the Syrian and Iraqi humanitarian crisis organized by

the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" was held last September at the

Holy See in Rome and brought together 66 participants, including

Dicasteries (Secretariat of State, the Congregation for the Oriental

Churches, the Pontifical Council for interreligious Dialogue), the

Apostolic Nuncios of Syria and Iraq, representatives of 31 Catholic

charities including Caritas, representatives of the Catholic

Hierarchy of Syria and Iraq as well as those of the Orthodox

Church. The Holy Father, during his address to the participants,

wished to thank all those who are engaged in the humanitarian

emergency response, "being grateful for the help given to the

victims of the crisis in Syria, Iraq and in neighboring countries, and

the comfort that (their) presence and (their) work brings to all

those who suffer". Rosette Héchaïmé and Mr. Gabriel Hatti were

participating on behalf of the MONA region.

● ● ●

IRAQI-SYRIAN

CRISIS Cor Unum

Christians in this Arab-Muslim

environment, can give a

testimony from the Gospel,

namely the courage to say a

personal word. It’s not about

repeating, indoctrinating, but

saying a word of truth, fruit

of grace, capable of liberating

and creating communion.¨

Mgr Audo (from his speech at

Cor Unum)

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Caritas MONA and Caritas Jordan took part in November in a meeting of experts specialized on

impacts of armed conflicts on people's vulnerability to human trafficking, including sex trafficking

and labour exploitation. The meeting was held in Amman, Jordan, and was convened by the Special

Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Ms. Maria Grazia

Giammarinaro. This meeting was an opportunity for the participants to share their experiences on

the prevention and protection of victims of this plague. Representatives of other organizations were

also present, including Secours Catholique. All participants agreed that a more holistic approach

should be prioritized, ahead with the need to establish measures and procedures to identify

potential victims as a precondition of any emergency action and crisis management. The regional

office has committed to review the recommendations in the light of stakeholder exchanges,

prioritizing holistic practical approaches.

Bulletin, Caritas Mona- No. 1

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Caritas MONA

BULLETIN is the official

newsletter of the Regional

Secretariat.

CONTENTS

All articles and pictures

come from national Caritas

publications and CI. They

may be reproduced with

acknowledgement.

ADDRESS

Caritas MONA

Immeuble Pierre Abi Haila

Rue Rouphael Abou Jaoude

Zalqa

LEBANON

Phone: +961 1 89 35 99

Fax: +961 1 87 69 64

Email: communication@caritasmona.org

The Regional Secretariat is pleased to inform

you that the MONA region can rely on two

new resources at the service of the regional

office: Sylvie Eid is in charge of Partnership

issues (including topics related to Migration,

Emergencies and Institutional Development)

and Julie Lebnan-Awaida is in charge of

Communication, Advocacy and Youth related

matters. Sylvie worked eleven years at the

Caritas Lebanon Migrant Center and has

acquired a solid experience in the projects

development, emergency-related programs

and migration issues. Julie was at the service of

Caritas Lebanon’s Youth Department for four

years and also acquired relevant experience in

communication and advocacy at a diocesan

level and in different human rights

organizations in Canada.

.

A successful team

beats with one

heart.

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Resource Corner:

Laudato Si Animation (CAFOD) - available in Arabic at Caritas

MONA

Laudato Si Animation (original version).

Cor Unum material for a day of retreat during the Jubilee of

Mercy: Cor Unum Retreat

MAKING RIGHTS WORK FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN EXTREME

POVERTY: a handbook for Implementing the UN Guiding

Principles on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights: Handbook &

Video Handbook & Video

manual

Bulletin, Caritas Mona- No. 1