Work Field

“Albi Maak” is a non-profit organization invented in April 2021 after covid 19 invasion and the worse economical – political crisis in Lebanon, that was by Dr. Hanan Matar who’s currently the head of organization and the main person leading its activities, trainings and awareness campaigns on different levels and sectors with the help of her colleagues’ doctors and 70 young volunteers.

The main goals of the organizations are:

Providing moral, health support and financial aid to the elderly, people with special needs and infected with chronic diseases.
Enhancing the situation and role of women and children and working on erasing illiteracy.
Delivering educational activities, workshops and training that target specific skills.
Establishing a center that provides mental, social, health and educational services.

Albi Maak is an Arabic name which means “my heart goes with you”. The main goal of our organization is to reach and help anyone despite their gender (male or Female), nationality (Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians) and age (from 4 till 60 years old) in the working area: Akkar district – North Lebanon. The total number of beneficiaries till now is 1,235.

During my practice as a psychotherapist, a university lecturer, and as the head of Albi Ma’ak Association, I came across several moving humanitarian stories: children whose parents conceal their presence for fear of social prejudice, elderly people who are abandoned by their children due to the lack of finances that would enable them proper treatment and hospitalization, and children who suffer from Down’s Syndrome (labeled Mongolians) and others with learning difficulties, cerebral palsy, mental delay, or delay in speech, all abandoned and left to their fates because their parents and those around them do not know how to properly deal with them.

I also met young men and women who were racked by social and tragic circumstances and their mental health deteriorated, and others who became addiction in several forms (drugs, alcohol, and homosexuality). In addition to destroyed families and homeless children who fell tempted by all kinds of misfortunes and gloomy futures, all have become dangers to society and vulnerable at the same time.

What makes the matter worse is the deterioration of the state of security and political conditions in the region in general, and Lebanon’s reception of a large number of the fellow Syrian people who were welcomed in the poorest and most deprived Akkar governorate. In addition to the painful events that deepened wounds and tragedies, such as the explosion of a fuel tank in the Al-Tleil area – Akkar, and the martyrs and injuries left behind, and bereaved families, orphans and widows.

Believing in the duty of every Muslim to make every possible effort to help his community, in light of the state of destitute and deteriorating services, the absence of infrastructure in the Akkar Governorate, and the suffering that the people of the region face in reaching the capital, Beirut, compounded by the inability of many to secure the exorbitant costs of psychological treatment, something which is unfortunately regarded as a luxury or, on the contrary, as a societal stigma, it was necessary to take action: I established along with my colleagues and some friends working in the field of mental health and social counseling the Albi Ma’ak Association and the Al-Hanan Center, with modest self-financing, and with individual efforts based primarily on volunteering. But the real need remains in the establishment of a hospital specialized in both physical and mental health, eldercare, addiction rehabilitation,

psychological rehabilitation, the development of the capabilities of people with special needs and reintegrating them into society, and the provision of the necessary physiological and psychological care required. This need goes beyond individual capabilities, self-financing or full volunteering, and it requires a clear vision, a strong will and unremitting efforts. That, in addition to appropriate funding, will cover these needs and allow the hospital to be built as well as guarantee its continual operation.

It is well known that most physical illnesses are of psychological origins, hence the importance of mental health and its impact on society. The society is only healthy when its members are safe and healthy. The societal regard of psychotherapy unfortunately remains stigmatized. However, thanks to the awareness lectures carried out by the association in coordination with schools and municipalities, this stigma gradually began to change in the Akkar governorate.

The main idea of the project is to provide a safe space under the supervision of specialists, which allows individuals to re-develop their own capabilities, and to rehabilitate them to be active and productive in society. In other words, the goal is to enable the individual to be useful, good and productive, self-reliant, and not dependent on others. The main objective is to shed light on people who have distinctive qualifications and abilities, and to work on developing and employing them for their self-reliance in order to achieve one of the most important sustainable development goals (SDGs), which is SDG goal three: good health and well-being.

This project would also contribute to reducing unemployment rates by creating enough job opportunities to absorb some of the growing increase in the labor force, and by achieving the eighth goal of sustainable development, which is: decent work and economic growth.

I ask Allah almighty to give you the credit of having this project come to life by your generous actions.

With sincere respect and gratitude.

Given that mental health is the primary focus, the choice was made upon a land area sufficient for building the complex and its annexes on the one hand, and appropriate for the health status of the cases that will be taken care of within the community on the other hand, ensuring that the site achieves the following conditions:

– Easy access while still maintaining some distance from main roads.

– Gradual descent.

– Fresh air, good climate, and a natural view of the plain, the sea, and the mountain.

– Distant from the popular centers and the industrial city.