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Following a visit to the Vatican devoted to the situation within the Order of Malta, and a private audience granted by Pope Francis, the president of the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta, Marwan Sehnaoui, visited last Saturday the Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï, to whom he communicated the content of his exchanges with the Holy Father.

Mr. Sehnaoui assured the patriarch that he had shared with Pope Francis the suffering of the Lebanese people, in particular after the double explosion which ravaged the port of Beirut and the surrounding areas last August, mentioning the misery faced by a large part of the population, its frustrations and its dejection. At the same time, he underlined the role that the Order of Malta plays in Lebanon as an instrument of peace and coexistence in a country plunged into complex internal conflicts.

Despite the wish of many to see the Holy Father pay a visit to Lebanon, Mr. Sehnaoui assured the Maronite Patriarch that “the Pope is listening to the suffering of the Lebanese people, and keeps himself informed”. “In terms full of benevolence and hope, the Pope affirmed that Lebanon is constantly present in his thoughts and prayers,” Sehnaoui reported.

The Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon has a vacancy for the following position:

– Mental Health Coordinator

The Order of Malta Lebanon has been operating in the health and social welfare sectors since 1957. It manages a network of 30 projects serving the most vulnerable populations, across the Lebanese territory including primary healthcare centers, mobile medical units, elderly day care centers, hosting centers for the differently-abled and projects for the displaced and refugees.

The Order of Malta Lebanon, with the support of its partner Malteser International (MI), has developed a comprehensive multi-annual program to strengthen its social and health services as well as its structures.

In this framework, the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon is looking for experienced candidates to fill the mentioned position.

Please click on the above red title in order to download its Terms of Reference.

The Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta (LAKM) / Order of Malta Lebanon is releasing a Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the following:

– Communication Agencies

The Order of Malta Lebanon has been operating in the health and social welfare sectors since 1957. It manages a network of 30 projects serving the most vulnerable populations, across the Lebanese territory including primary healthcare centers, mobile medical units, elderly day care centers, hosting centers for the differently-abled and projects for the displaced and refugees.

The Order of Malta Lebanon, with the support of its partner Malteser International (MI), has developed a comprehensive multi-annual program to strengthen its social and health services as well as its structures.

In this framework, the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon is looking for qualified communication agencies to provide the services.

If interested to apply, please click on the above red title in order to access the Terms of Reference.

Fra’ Marco Luzzago has been elected with a large majority Lieutenant of the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta. The Council Complete of State, the electoral body, met on 7 and 8 November in the Magistral Villa in Rome, one of the Order of Malta’s two institutional seats. All phases of the election were caried out in full compliance with anti-Covid measures.

There were 44 participants at the Council Complete of State out of the 56 entitled to vote. They came to Rome from Argentina, Peru, the United States, Lebanon, France, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Holland, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Malta and Italy.

The newly elected head of the Sovereign Order of Malta swore his oath before the members of the Council Complete of State and the Pope’s Special Delegate, cardinal-designate Silvano Maria Tomasi.

Fra’ Marco Luzzago succeeds Fra’ Giacomo Dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinetto, Prince and 80th Grand Master, who died on 29 April last.

Pope Francis was informed of the election by letter. Subsequently all the Order of Malta’s Grand Priories, Sub-Priories and National Associations worldwide were informed, together with the 110 states with which the Sovereign Order of Malta entertains diplomatic relations.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master – who will remain in office for one year – when addressing the members of the Council Complete said: ‘the Holy Spirit has graciously turned his gaze to me. I thank each one of you for placing your trust in me and for showing by your presence here today a great love and a great dedication to our Order. For my part, I can only assure you of my maximum commitment to address the challenges that lie ahead of us in the coming months. First of all, the reform of the Constitutional Charter and the Code carried on with such fervour by our late Fra’ Giacomo, whom at this moment I remember with emotion.

Profile of Lieutenant

Fra’ Marco was born 1950 in Brescia.  He completed a scientific high school degree at the institute of the Franciscans in Brescia, before studying medicine for a number of years at the Universities of Padua and Parma. He was then asked to manage his family’s property interests. This led on to business activities in the consumer industry and large-scale retail distribution, an area in which he continued to be involved in for many years.
Fra’ Marco joined the Sovereign Order of Malta in 1975 in the Grand Priory of Lombardy and Venice and took his Solemn religious Vows in 2003. He began attending the Order of Malta’s international pilgrimages to Lourdes and the national pilgrimages to Assisi and Loreto. Since 2010 he has dedicated his life completely to the Order of Malta, moving to the Marches to care for one of the Order’s Commanderies.

Since 2011 he has been Commander of Justice in the Grand Priory of Rome, where he holds the position of Delegate of the Northern Marches and head of the library. Since 2017 he has been Councillor of the Order of Malta’s Italian Association. Fra’ Marco Luzzago is related to Pope Paul VI.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master

According to the Order of Malta’s Constitution, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master remains in office for one year with the same powers as the Grand Master. The Lieutenant of the Grand Master has to reconvene the Council Complete of State before the end of his mandate.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master must devote himself fully to the development of the Order’s works and be an example for all members in religious observance. He has supreme authority. Together with the Sovereign Council, he issues the legislative provisions not provided for by the Constitutional Charter, promulgates the acts of the government and ratifies international agreements.

The Lieutenant of the Grand Master resides in the Order of Malta’s seat, the Magistral Palace in Rome.

The Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta (LAKM) / Order of Malta Lebanon is releasing a Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) for the following:

– Contracting Companies

The Order of Malta Lebanon has been operating in the health and social welfare sectors since 1957. It manages a network of 30 projects serving the most vulnerable populations, across the Lebanese territory including primary healthcare centers, mobile medical units, elderly day care centers, hosting centers for the differently-abled and projects for the displaced and refugees.

The Order of Malta Lebanon, with the support of its partner Malteser International (MI), has developed a comprehensive multi-annual program to strengthen its social and health services as well as its structures.
In this framework, the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon is looking for qualified companies to execute the works.
If interested to apply, please click on the above red title in order to access the Terms of Reference.

The Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon has vacancies for the following positions:

– IT Consultant
– Mental Health Coordinator
– Registered Nurse

The Order of Malta Lebanon has been operating in the health and social welfare sectors since 1957. It manages a network of 30 projects serving the most vulnerable populations, across the Lebanese territory including primary healthcare centers, mobile medical units, elderly day care centers, hosting centers for the differently-abled and projects for the displaced and refugees.

The Order of Malta Lebanon, with the support of its partner Malteser International (MI), has developed a comprehensive multi-annual program to strengthen its social and health services as well as its structures.
In this framework, the Lebanese Association of the Knights of Malta / Order of Malta Lebanon is looking for experienced candidates to fill the mentioned positions.

Please click on the position you are interested to apply for, in order to download its Terms of Reference.

In a bid to support small farmers and the local economy, boost community health, as well as strengthen food security by improving food availability and accessibly, the Order of Malta in partnership with the Saradar Foundation has launched an Agro-humanitarian project under the slogan of “Healthy, We Grow.”

The project is providing 1.2 million seedlings of winter crops to 350 small farmers located in the catchment areas of the Order of Malta’s primary health care centers.
The areas include Khaldiya in Zgharta, Al Qobayat, Ras Baalbek, Barqa, Deir Al-Ahmar in Northern Bekaa and Yaroun in South Lebanon.

The project aims to empower local communities by supporting the agricultural sector, targeting small farmers and helping them pursue their farming activities. Farmers are coached to adopt climate smart agricultural methods in order to ensure healthy domestic production while protecting natural resources.

The importance of the project lies in each beneficiary donating 5% of his/her agricultural production to be distributed among the most vulnerable communities benefiting from the Order’s health care services.

This pilot project represents a promising opportunity for a sustainable agricultural project, currently being designed by the organization.

The project is multistage, beginning with the Order of Malta purchasing seeds and seedlings from local companies and NGOs, contributing to Lebanon’s economy by providing job opportunities during the process of turning seeds into seedlings. These seedlings will then be distributed to farmers who will proceed with planting them in their lands.

Agricultural visits by project supervisors will also be granted, including agricultural engineers and specialized experts from the Order of Malta to support farmers, provide them with the necessary expertise and skills, and familiarize them with best practices and sound agricultural methods that ensure both better productivity and protect natural resources.

The project will generate some 1,250 tons of fresh products, enhancing the economic and purchasing power of farmers while improving their living conditions. It will also pave the way for vulnerable communities to secure healthy products at lower costs.

Specific crops were chosen based on their consumption within the traditional Lebanese diet while being a rich source of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber. These crops also consume a relatively low amount of water and fertilizers, thus conserving natural resources and reducing health side effects and pollution.

Mr. Marwan Sehnaoui, president of the Order of Malta in Lebanon, praised the project while labeling it as the “embodiment of the interdependence of the agricultural and health sectors.”

“Enhancing livelihoods through agriculture contributes to providing healthy agricultural production and establishing healthy nutritional patterns,” he said.

“This also contributes to strengthening individual and community health, while building on the efforts achieved in the health care and medical fields all while improving food security, especially in the midst of the successive crises that Lebanon had witnessed; this is paralleled with extreme increase in food prices alongside deteriorating socio-economic conditions and substantially diminished purchasing power of the most vulnerable social groups,” Mr. Sehnaoui added.

“The launch of our project is an embodiment of the association’s principles, its humanitarian approach and its mission to empower the most vulnerable individuals and social groups, whether through health care or social services,” Mr. Sehnaoui added.

“This project will support farmers and urge them to adopt sound agricultural methods, therefore contributing to economic development, increasing local agricultural production and pushing towards a healthy food approach, as well as establishing a culture of social solidarity.”

Mrs. Maria Saradar, president of the Saradar Foundation, echoed Mr. Sehnaoui’s comments and praised “the active partnership with the Order of Malta” as Lebanon grapples with its most severe economic crisis in decades.

The project is evidence of “the urgent need for cooperation in order to overcome the current economic and social crisis,” Mrs. Saradar said.

“The project will create job opportunities, boost economic sectors, and enhance food security by making use of fertile lands in various Lebanese regions while securing alternatives for crops, goods and imported products,” she added.

Mrs. Saradar described the project as a “reflection to the aspirations of both organizations towards a healthier and more sustainable society, especially as we share the same values that define the nature of our mission,” highlighting the role that the organization has played in the health care sector in Lebanon for more than 60 years, particularly through its primary health care centers located in the remote areas, which will helps us reach different social strata.

As an extension of its humanitarian action and in response to a tenfold increase in poverty throughout the country, the Order of Malta has added to its network of five mobile medical units (MMUs) that roam across the Lebanese territory, a sixth one in the north of the country, covering Tripoli and surrounding areas.

After Akkar,the Beqaa, Siddikine and the southern borders, a sixth mobile medical unit (MMU), launched in partnership with the Charitable Trust CPVG (Caritas Pro Vitae Gradu), was deployed on September 1st, from the Order of Malta’s primary health care center located in Khaldieh-Zghorta, to provide comprehensive and free health services to the inhabitants of the region from al-Mina Tripoli to Sir el-Denniye, passing through Mejdlaya, Meryata, Bakhaoun, Bkaa Safrine, Izal and Bkarsouna.

The locations itinerary visited weekly by the MMU was set up following an in-depth field assessment, carried out with the collaboration of the North Mohafez and the heads of municipalities in the region, in order to determine the most important needs. Two socio-economic experts also participated in the identification of pockets of poverty in order to target the most vulnerable areas, including al-Mina, Tripoli and Sir el-Denniye.

A halt on Tripoli

Witness to constant renewed tensions, Tripoli has been suffering for too long. The inhabitants of the “second capital of Lebanon”, with a high urban density, consider the city abandoned to its fate. “It’s as if Tripoli is not on the map of Lebanon” they say, criticizing the lack of development projects in the city, where unemployment and poverty rates are among the highest in Lebanon.

Indeed, the multiplication of crises added to the deep recession experienced by the country have led to the impoverishment of the middle classes, while the most underprivileged strata have become even poorer. A growing number of Tripolitans have today sunk into extreme poverty and do not benefit from any social safety net.

“The situation is more than catastrophic. People don’t have enough food to eat, let alone the basic medicines they need,” said one city resident. Hence the fundamental role of the Order of Malta’s action through its team and the weekly visit of its mobile medical unit, bearing the Order’s cross in its red coat of arms, which was received with open arms by a worn-down population, thirsty not only for care, but also for listening and attention.

Following his visit to the MMU, which has been specially refurbished into two consultation rooms, the president of the municipality of Tripoli, Riad Yamak, congratulated the team, composed of doctors, nurses, a field coordinator, a social worker, an administrative manager and two drivers. “The presence of this MMU is of utmost importance today, not only because of the excellent medical services it offers, but also because it provides free medicines in a time of significant shortages” he said.

After having followed the awareness session on prevention against Covid-19, he added: “We can only thank the Order of Malta for this project, especially in the crisis situation we are experiencing in Tripoli, both economically and socially, as well as in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The explanatory session given to the patients who were waiting their turn is also essential; the Tripolitan population needs this kind of clarification to show them how to protect themselves against this virus, without giving in to destabilizing and harmful panic. »

Healing the wounds of the body and soul

In the first operational phase of the MMU, free medical consultations and supply of medicines will be provided. The second phase will include, as in all of the Order of Malta’s MMUs, free referrals to specialized doctors, laboratory tests and even possible hospitalization, reaching around 3,000 medical acts per month.

Hala, coming from Bab el-Tebbané, witnesses: “It was one of my nephews who was informed by a WhatsApp message of this MMU’s presence, that pushed me to come and benefit from a free consultation. I am extremely satisfied: not only did the medical team take the time to explain to me what I was suffering from before giving me all the medication I needed, but they calmed me down about my aches and pains and I came out reassured and with a lighter heart, as if I had been relieved of a burden. If similar initiatives were to multiply, the world would be a much better place. »

An instrument of coexistence

One of the main objectives of the Order of Malta is to uphold “Lebanon, the Message” (as described by St John Paul II) that is currently suffering… The choice of this region is not incidental, since the Order, with its neutral, impartial and apolitical status, aspires to play a key role in social cohesion and peace. Indeed, in these disregarded zones where the population is composed of multiple denominations, extremist groups could take advantage of the vulnerable and hopeless youth by providing them with vital support.

Therefore, one of the criteria of the Order of Malta in setting up this itinerary was to cover sensitive areas in terms of community diversity, in order to pursue its mission of promoting and consolidating a culture of peaceful coexistence, through access to quality services for all, thus reassuring the population with effective support and thereby reducing tensions. An objective in harmony with those of its partner in this MMU, the Charitable Trust CPVG (Caritas Pro Vitae Gradu) that supports projects promoting change, with a strong humanitarian and social impact, furthering the values of compassion and commitment to the most vulnerable.

As part of the humanitarian operation “Un bateau pour le Liban” (“A boat for Lebanon”) carried by the CMA CGM Foundation in partnership with the Crisis and Support Center of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta, represented by François Abisaab, chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Sovereign Order of Malta to Lebanon, received 9 pallets of medicines and medical devices and 9 pallets of medical equipment, in the presence of the French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to Beirut.

These donations were made possible thanks to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Health Agency and the Hôpitaux universitaires de Marseille, as well as the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, which joined forces in adding 30,000 surgical masks and 5,000 FFP2 masks to the donation.

May they receive our gratitude, and through them France, which never fails to stand alongside the Lebanese people and support them, especially in these difficult times they are going through. 

Photos © Patrick Baz

In light of the immediate crisis response to the explosion that shook the core of Beirut City on August 4, 2020; amidst a pre-existing financial, economic, social and sanitary crisis – the ‘Order of Malta Lebanon’, thanks to its generous donors, was able to initiate a rapid response plan to address the different unprecedented and emerging repercussions from the recent blast in Beirut, while continuously responding to the healthcare and social welfare needs across the country, in addition to addressing the resurgence outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic.

Read the full report on this link: http://orderofmaltalebanon.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ORDER-OF-MALTA-LEBANON-CRISIS-RESPONSE-250820-.pdf