2020
Georges Assaf and Aya Naimeh Organizers of relief for homeless in Lebanon
“OF COURSE, HELPING PEOPLE IS ALWAYS A JOY”
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ebanese Young Talents began in 2009 as an organizaversity and, says Aya, “random people who had heard tion whose mission was to raise funds for young what we were doing and decided to join the cause.” Lebanese students without means to pursue athletics at the The core group now includes, besides Georges and college level. Maronite Catholics Georges Assaf, a lecturAya, Marc Haddad, Ornella El Khoury, Lea Bou Roufael er and head of sports training at Lebanon’s Catholic Antoand Maria Jabra. nine University, and Zeina Mina, Dean of the Faculty of “For us, it only seems natural to devote our time and Sports Sciences and a former Olympic athlete (Lebanon’s funds to helping people,” says Aya. “This is the way we sole female Olympian, who competed in the Women’s 400 were all raised, as good Christians: ‘Give to the one who meter race in Los Angeles in 1984) were the founders. asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to After years of successfully raising money for young borrow from you.’ (Matthew 5:42)” Lebanese to enter and compete in sports, something terri“Of course, helping people is always a joy,” she continble happened that turned ues. “For me, one of the most everything around for them: joyful moments was when we the Beirut blast of August 4, found Georges, a 62 year old 2020. man who lives alone in his The explosion, a detonation apartment in Gaitawi... It of 2750 tonnes of ammonium wasn’t the fact that he survived nitrate – equivalent to about by a miracle when his carpet 1.1 kilotons of TNT – stored protected him from debris and unsafely in a warehouse in the flying glass; it was the hope in port of Beirut, Lebanon, was his eyes, even though he was felt in Turkey, Syria, Israel, confused, not knowing whether Palestine and parts of Europe – to be angry or happy he surand heard in Cyprus, 150 miles Young people and families demonstrate, demanding better government, vived, having a guilt that we all after the Beirut blast of August 4, 2020 away – registered 3.3 on the could relate to! We found him Richter scale. alone, not asking for help from anyone, just sitting in his It left more than 200 dead, thousands injured, and destroyed apartment with no food, no lights, no water, 300,000 homeless. And a majority of these casualties nothing.” occurred in the Christian section of Beirut, where the Besides the destruction and human suffering around warehouse was located. them, the young Catholic Lebanese see another sorrow as Georges, Zeina, Zeina’s daughter Aya Naimeh, and Fr. well: the exodus of Christians from a homeland where the Joe Abou Jaoudé, the financial Director at Antonine InterLord Himself once walked. national School whom Aya calls a “mentor” to the group, Indeed, an archeologist in 2019 identified Qana, at that time decided to redirect the work of Lebanese Lebanon, as the “Cana” of the Gospel, where Jesus turned Young Talents to relief efforts among the survivors of the water into wine at a wedding celebration. blast. Aya says she, her Orthodox husband and Georges Says Aya, “I was always raised around the value of Assaf have witnessed many Christian friends leave the helping others, so at a young age I started enrolling in country in search of stability, “away from the political and activities that were other-focused, such as donating gifts economic problems.” and clothes and food to an orphanage in Beirut. I was edu“We knew that was always an issue in Lebanon. I cated in a Catholic school in Beirut, Notre Dame de myself was born and lived in France when I was younger Nazareth, where these values were reinforced.” as my mother was fleeing the war in Beirut in 1989,” she Right after the August 4 explosion, the group started explains. traveling the devastated streets, helping people to clear But this time I feel it is different – we have almost no their neighborhoods and homes of rubble. They gradually friends left in Lebanon, and those who are left are thinkwere joined by friends, coworkers, students from the uniing of leaving the country in pursuit of better days.”m JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2021 INSIDE THE VATICAN
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