Important note: In some of the stories, the names of beneficiaries have not been used or have been changed for the sake of privacy or confidentiality.

Lebanese program enables learners to become teachers as they share their skills

By Taline Ladayan, Lebanon— When we hear “Jinishian,” we think of 45 years of compassion, partnership and networking in service to our communities, helping others, guiding them toward self-sufficiency and, most importantly, sharing whatever we have with others in need. One of our local governmental organizations with whom we have worked closely for many years,…

Vocational training brings color to JMP–L’s neighborhood

The “Flower Arrangement, Soap and Candle Making” vocational training course carried out from November 2009 till March 2010 by JMP–L, in partnership with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), attracted the attention of not only the trainees but also people from the surrounding neighborhoods and other community members. Offered in JMP–L’s Talassian Hall near our…

Participants reflect positively as training on food serving and catering concludes

JMP–L’s first vocational training course on “Food Serving and Catering for Various Occasions,” held from March till May 2008 at the Mesrobian TechnicalCollege in Bourj Hammoud, concluded successfully. With its diversity of topics, the training provided a comprehensive experience to participants in a well-organized three-month schedule. The well-rounded program included not only food-preparation-related sessions, but…

Giving joy to children in the community

Below is some of the positive feedback of children who participated in the recreational, educational and sports activities, organized by JMP–L’s Community Development team, with the help of volunteers, in 2008. Ten-year-old Mireille: “It’s been two years that my sister and I have been attending Jinishian’s activities. We have lots of fun here together with…

Preventing a life-threatening heart attack

A beneficiary of JMP–L’s Medication Dispensing Department who had classic symptoms (angina pectoris) of cardiac problems was urged by the nurse to consult a specialist. After visiting the physician, the beneficiary came back to JMP–L’s offices and expressed his gratitude to the staff, because the doctor had informed him that he had miraculously avoided a…

Empowering women to have healthier, more productive lives

The eight-month pilot project of the Developmental Health Program for Women in 2006 gave the opportunity to 13 hypertensive women to participate in educational, recreational and empowering activities, through a holistic, democratic and participatory approach. These women had been also receiving medications with JMP–L’s assistance for many years. One of the participating women became very…

Emergency relief assistance for 2006 war victims

To relieve the suffering of families affected by the summer 2006 war in Lebanon, JMP–L provided emergency relief assistance worth $55,000, allocated by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) and the JMP U.S. Advisory Committee (USAC), to more than 1,370 people. Specifically, 487 chronically sick individuals received medications from the JMP–L Medication Dispensing Department, 58 people…

Extending a helping hand to a mother

 In 2001, a mother of three children who was a social case at JMP–L used to take family allowance, because her husband who used to work as a car mechanic had become unemployed after having a car accident. The family faced different financial problems. The parents were not able to pay the tuition fees of…

A thank you letter from L.J.

In August 2009, a JMP–L medical social worker received the following very touching thank you letter from L. J. A few months earlier, in November 2008, JMP–L had helped first-born L. receive a $10,000 cochlear implant. In addition to a small financial contribution from JMP–L, our social worker had been able to raise additional funds…

Empowerment, spiritual uplift abound at teenage girls’ self-development program

These are some success stories from the Teenage Girls’ Self-Development Program, which has been going on since 2005. The program has helped the participants — teenage daughters of JMP–L beneficiaries with various socio-economic problems — to understand, care about, and base their actions on some core ethical values. It has also enabled them to have…

Back on her feet

In 1999, a mother came to the JMP–L office in Beirut for help. Her husband was not earning enough to support their school-age children, and the family was deep in debt to local loan sharks. The mother had never worked outside the home before. JMP–L agreed to guarantee a loan from a local revolving loan…

A case history from the 1999 social workers’ files in Beirut

All of Nartuhi’s relatives perished in the massacres [committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians] in the early part of this [20th] century. Nartuhi survived in refugee camps because of a strong determination to live and the help afforded her by relief programs. Throughout her adult life, she worked at many different jobs, but mostly in…

A story from the 1972 records of JMP Beirut

A family living in Bourj Hammoud faced economic disaster. Their landlord was arranging for their eviction from a one-room apartment. The illiterate father’s income was less than half of that needed to feed, clothe and house his growing family. The mother had potentially marketable skills as a seamstress but could not leave her preschool children…

ReachUp! business and computer skills training

The “ReachUp!” business and computer training program that JMP–L implemented from November 2008 until September 2009, in partnership with the Canadian-based Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) organization and the Howard Karagheusian Commemorative Corporation (HKCC), turned out to be a success. Thanks to the training sessions, 36 men and women not only acquired computer and basic business…

Creative Space program in Lebanon lifts spirits

The goal of The Creative Space program in Lebanon is to guide students on the road to their creative ideals through fashion, creating an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration while promoting individuality. Throughout the two months, the class worked together to create an haute-couture collection, with each student responsible for designing and producing at least…