Trauma healing programme for refugees launches in Lebanon

People from ten countries gathered in Beirut recently for the launch of a trauma healing programme for refugees in Lebanon.

Some 1.5–2 million people from neighbouring Iraq and Syria have fled to the country in the last few years. This means that one in five people living in Lebanon are refugees.

The scheme was developed by the American Bible Society and now runs in 70 countries around the world and 174 languages.

It helps victims of trauma to talk about their experiences, consider issues such as ‘why is their suffering?’ and rape as a weapon of war, and to reflect on what the Bible has to say on their circumstances.

The head of the Bible Society in Lebanon, Mike Bassous, said, ‘Christians have always been builders of hope and peace. Our mandate is to take care of people holistically.’

The event’s keynote speaker, leading psychotherapist Dr Diane Langberg, said that the trauma healing programme was ‘an excellent tool that can be used by professionals and lay people to care for those who are experiencing trauma and deep suffering.

‘I think it can help people face something that they would otherwise find hard to face, or wouldn’t face,’ she added.

The need for the scheme was highlighted by 36-year-old Saba Noory who fled Iraq with her family just over a year ago.

They left when armed men surrounded the church where they had taken refuge and threatened to rape Saba and her sister and then kill the whole family.

‘There was fear in us every day that we would be killed,’ said Saba. ‘We felt insecure the whole time.

‘The verses that inspire me are when Jesus said, “I will always be with you and will never leave you” and when he said, “Look at the birds of the trees”.

‘My husband and I put our hope in these passages. Our hope is that God will not leave us alone.’

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