As part of the educational program of Amel, Thursday, April 18, was inaugurated at the Amel Haret Hreik center “the space of the French-language book” in partnership with l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) with the presence of representatives of the two organizations, l’Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), as well as the team of the center.
This space, which is part of a new cooperation with the OIF, is dedicated at the entire community but will be a great benefit to the children, Lebanese and Syrians, attending the center, registered in the Lebanese public school and following the French curriculum around the center. The goal behind this space is to ensure that children have no delay in learning and improve their level in French.
More specifically, “the opening of this space is part of a larger project to offer 80 children the chance to take upgrade courses in French language and psychosocial support,” said Laetitia Abelard, in charge of the educational program in Amel. It should be noted that these courses, in addition to other activities related to the French language, will begin in June 2019 and will concern 80 children aged 7 to 14, all enrolled in the French-speaking cursus of public schools around the center. Training dedicated to French-language educators is also planned as part of this new collaboration.
In addition, this new space is very important, because more than 50% of the children enrolled in the Public School in Lebanon follow the French curriculum.
In terms of materials, 700 books, educational games and digital tablets made available to children attending the center, who will be supported by four teachers, facilitators, a social worker or a psychologist.
“The collaboration between Amel and the OIF is not new, as we have, for a long time, benefited from their support in different projects. Especially in areas related to human rights or education, “said Dr. Ahmad Abboud, Amel’s Executive Director, during his speech.
He also recalled the importance that Amel reserves for education, in addition to its other activities, by building partnerships, but also through its various community centers and its two mobile educational units (MEU). He also recalled that this new space perfectly corresponds to the three key points that make Amel’s philosophy: service, development and rights.
Accompanied by Mr. Iyade Khalaf, Training Officer at the OIF, Ms. Youma Fall, Director of the “French Language, Culture and Diversity” Program at the OIF, hailed the remarkable work of the NGO Amel in Lebanon and abroad, which explains the international recognition it has today. “We share, in the OIF, some of your values. Namely, access to knowledge, cultural diversity, integration, equal rights … etc.” said Ms. Fall.
She later recalled the important role that educational games and tablets play in children’s learning: “These educational games and tablets are also important for children’s learning. They can be synonymous with a gateway to the world of books that remain essential tools in learning. Thus, this place is a space dedicated to books, but also to animations “.
Finally, this new space of 50 m² will be accessible to the entire community, since this place is open to all, the 700 books are made available with a system of borrowing for all members of the community.
