"First Step"/"Second Step" - about the project

Beginnings

The program was born in 2020, when an elderly lady came to Father Sebastian from "Caritas Łódź" and offered permanent support for a child from Syria. Inspired by her proposal, we decided, together with "Caritas of Łódź", to help children in Aleppo in taking their "First Step".
From the very beginning, the project was implemented together with our friends from St. Francis Parish in Aleppo. We started with a modest number of a few dozen kids whose parents started receiving regular support to help cover the costs of their education. Quite quickly this number grew to 320 children.

"The First Step" in Lebanon
In 2022, we decided to expand the Program to include Lebanon. In collaboration with the Notre Dames des Anges school in the Badaroo, we currently support 69 kids there.
The next year was a dark time for the south of Lebanon, due to the armed conflict in the border areas. So we decided to start helping there too.
As part of the "First Step", we support 11 out of 31 children from the Christian community of the village of Kfour who attend the school of the Sisters of St. Antonin in nearby Nabatiyeh.

How did “Second Step” come about?
There is a catechist center at the parish in Aleppo, which brings together over 1,200 children of various Christian denominations, including 320 participants of the "First Step". The center is called "TAL" (an abbreviation of Arabic: "Education, Faith, Realism"). While in Aleppo in April 2024, we managed to participate in formation classes for children, meeting there some of our students from "First Step". We are pleased that families not only come for material support for their children, but also want them to participate in the life of the community, learning pro-social attitudes.

Since January, we have been running a pilot project together with Caritas of the Archdiocese of Łódź: "The Second Step - Youth of St. Francis". This is an initiative aimed at supporting 150 students under the care of the Franciscans.

Sometimes it happens that a ward misses "First Step", either due to leaving the country or due to reaching the age of majority. It turns out that eight of these children are currently in the "Second Step"! Let's see what happens with the two of them:

“I am in my first year of studies at the Institute of Finance and Banking. On Fridays I give catechesis and I am responsible for the children's education.I also belong to the Youth of Saint. Franciszka, while also being a teacher at the TAŁ Center. In my free time I do photography.I try to do something positive in life, constantly develop" – Salim

“I am 18 years old, a first-year student majoring in finance and banking. In addition, I am a teacher at the TAŁ Center, I help children with their homework. I belong to the youth of St. Francis. In my free time I go to the gym and play basketball” - Marni

Please stay tuned for a news about the Project!

P.S In the PDF file attached below you can find some photos!