• LEBANON \ Sep 06, 2001
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    Christian Group to Renovate Beirut Building for Orphanage
Christian Group to Renovate Beirut Building for Orphanage Crosswalk.com News Channel - A group of 17 volunteers from mid-Ulster (UK), consisting mainly of electricians, plumbers and carpenters, will be traveling to Beirut, Lebanon, as part of a project to help the plight of street children. Once brought up to standard, the building will function as an orphanage and school for about 150 children ranging in age from babies to late teens.

The idea for the project came from the organization LIFT (Labor and Faith in Trust), which was set up to allow volunteers to go out to poor countries and do practical work, such as rewiring churches. One such volunteer is Ian Little, who traveled to Kosovo last year to work on a project. When he got home, he gave a report and asked if anyone would like to help with another LIFT project; the interest grew from there.

One volunteer who is looking forward to the challenges ahead is Trevor Bingham of Banbridge, who explained that, "With the civil war a lot of immigrants came to Beirut. Many children are now left to run the streets, and there are problems with drugs and with prostitution ... We're going to renovate a building about 25 years old that is currently being used as a 'home' for anything from abandoned children, to kids getting in trouble and just left there by the police."
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