History
Amel was created in 1979 by Dr. Kamel Mohanna, side by side with pioneer international NGOs such as Doctors without Borders and Doctors of the World. It started its activities as a reaction to the civil war that broke out in Lebanon in 1975. Since its creation, Amel has opened field hospitals, maternities, development and medical centers in addition to cooperatives in several areas, regardless of their political or religious affiliations. One of the key illustrations of this non-discriminatory approach is characterized by AMEL’s presence in the two areas in which the Lebanese civil war started, Chiyah and Ain El Remaneh. The local populations there did not interact in anyway during these times. However, instead of letting distrust and prejudice prevail, Amel pursued peaceful relationships by linking the two communities through common community events and dialogue. With its 24 centers and 6 mobile medical units, Amel has offered accessible medical and psychosocial services, professional training, rural development and child protection and has promoted Human Rights for more than 36 years. Since its foundation, Amel has strived to help all vulnerable groups, without discrimination, and thus it goes beyond the fault lines that divide Lebanese society