Four years after a massive explosion at the Port of Beirut claimed more than 200 lives, injured more than 6,000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless, efforts to rebuild the city of Beirut continue. The recent restoration of the ophthalmic clinic at the Beirut Development Center for Primary Health Care is a cause for celebration and renewed hope in the ongoing struggle to rise from the wreckage of the August 4, 2020, blast.
The Maronite General Council, a charitable organization that operates under and is supported by the Maronite Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have worked together to return the ophthalmic clinic to full function. The clinic offers free essential eye care services to many in the Beirut area regardless of religious community or nationality.
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The Maronite General Council owns and runs The Beirut Development Center for Primary Health Care, which is home to the ophthalmic clinic. The center offers a wide range of general health care services to about 400 people per month for minimal or no charge. The entire center sustained severe damage from the blast, and the cost of rebuilding it has been significant.
The need for funds to purchase new ophthalmology equipment and build the eye clinic at the center became an opportunity for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to join with the Maronite General Council to serve the community and restore essential services during a time of economic challenge and recovery.
The president of the Maronite General Council, Engineer Michel Matta, expressed gratitude for the collaboration. “This valuable step taken by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help reactivate the eye care department at the center is like a heavenly sign that came at the right time to support our mission to continue serving our community,” Matta said. “We extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to them. We are truly grateful for their contribution, which has made a significant difference.”
A recent ceremony marked the reopening of the eye clinic. At that event, the Maronite General Council honored The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by unveiling a permanent plaque at the entrance of the clinic that notes the Church’s contribution to the restoration.
Many notable members of the community attended the event, including Matta, Father Abdo Abou Kassem (head of the Lebanese Catholic Media Center), Ambassador Khalil Karam (president of the Maronite League), Maroun Abou Kassem, Engineer Roland Ghostine (vice president of the Maronite General Council), Mr. Antoine Ramia (treasurer of the Maronite General Council), Mrs. Hiam Al Bustani (director of the Maronite Foundation in the World), and Dr. Antoine Sfeir.
Maroun Akiki, Middle East/Africa North area welfare and self-reliance manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared his thoughts about the project. “This charitable project holds immense significance for me because, through the restoration of the ophthalmic clinic, we have helped alleviate the impact of the Beirut port explosion on Lebanese society,” he said. “We have demonstrated that the power of life and love is strong and that working together, we can accomplish much good.”
The restoration of the eye clinic is not the first time these two Christian faiths have combined efforts to bless lives. The clinic, however, will stand as a symbol of what faith communities can achieve when they join together in love and hope.