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History
- Following the death of their friend by overdose, a group of socially-active young men rallied around their other friend who had also spiraled down into the whirlwind of addiction.
- They turned to Father Guy Njeim who expressed great interest in their cause and offered them support. They also sought advice from many professionals.
- Thus was the beginning of a long journey to help people suffering from drug addiction, which started in a tent near the St. Charbel Convent in Annaya.
- After moving from one tent to another, from one region to another, they finally settled in their first rehabilitation center in Feytroun, with 12 residents.
- January 90: The first resident graduated from Oum el Nour after a 6 month rehabilitation period.
- With the increase in the number of individuals suffering from drug addiction, 2 additional houses were rented. By that time, the war had reached its climax. One of the houses was hit by a bomb and one of the volunteers was wounded.
- Once again the group had to move. One of the volunteers, who had worked with the group from the start, postponed his wedding and offered his new house for welcoming 20 residents along with their companions for around 7 months, until they all moved to a new location in Ashkout.
- June 1990: Oum el Nour received its official notification from the Ministry of Interior as per decision number 120/AD.
- The founding committee started working on the administrative structure and the improvement of programs with the help of experienced and professional people.
- Contacts were initiated with international organizations involved in the same field.
- Many team members traveled abroad for professional training with the support of foreign embassies.
- The support continued through private initiatives: a plot of land was donated in Fatka.
- Representatives from major humanitarian organizations and local associations as well as social and diplomatic figures visited Oum el Nour’s centers.
- Three years after its establishment, the Organization started to participate in local and international conferences and to make appearances in the media.
- When the number of residents reached 100, a special program was established for parents in order to support them in assisting their children during rehabilitation and facilitating their future reintegration within their families.
- Donors offered us a plot of land in the North and another in Sehaileh on which a new center was built.
- Infused with enthusiasm, the team was able to put up a large tent in this new location within 48 hours, in which residents stayed for 4 months...
- ... before moving to a hangar.
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The Feytroun Center for women was established in order to meet the increasing demand for rehabilitation. At first, the center received only 5 residents who overcame all obstacles through their wish to end addiction.
The Follow-Up Center opened its doors to support the Rehabilitation Center graduates and aimed for social reinsertion and prevention of relapse. - Despite these extremely encouraging developments and despite the donations, the organization faced financial problems. After appealing to the government, it was able to sign contracts first with the Ministry for Social Affairs then with the Ministry of Health.
- Oum el Nour broadened its scope of action to include a Center at Deir Ammiq in the Chouf, which had a very positive impact on the region’s inhabitants.
- International relations evolved and the Arab Association for Drug Prevention was founded with a team from Cairo, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and many Arab countries.
- On Oum el Nour's 10th anniversary, the first building of the Rehabilitation Center for men in Sehaileh was ready to receive the residents.
- The Reception Center opened its doors and replaced the general administration in receiving applicants and studying their cases for referral.
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As addiction cases multiplied dramatically, a special prevention program was launched and new partnerships with various donors were built.
The number of female residents exceeded Oum el Nour's capacity.
- The building in Feytroun was refurbished to meet the increasing demands for women’s rehabilitation. However, this didn’t solve the problem and the only solution resided in building a new center.
- The construction of a new center for women in Fatka started on 25/1/2005 and ended on 31/1/2007.
- The journey of Oum el Nour went beyond the borders of Lebanon, as two institutions were registered in France and the United States.
Oum el Nour reaped the fruit of its efforts on all levels:
The General Administration:
went from providing basic needs to drawing new horizons for development and sustainability.
The Therapeutic Department:
[Shayle] The Rehabilitation Center for for men in Sehaileh: from a tent to 3 buildings that welcome around 60 young men.
The Rehabilitation Center for women in Fatka: from a house that can barely contain 5 residents to a building that can contain more than 30 young women.
The Reception Center:
from welcoming 25 persons to welcoming more than 400 persons/year.
The Follow-Up Center:from a program that follows up on former drug addicts for a few months to a center that follows up on them for two full years during their social reinsertion.
The Parents’ Program:
from helpless parents to active parents who play an essential role in the treatment of their children.
The Prevention Department:
from a center that meets specific demands to 5 varied programs that address parents, young people, and professionals through sensitization, awareness, training, and development.
