March 2025
“We thank God that we are able to bless others, because we have been blessed,” says Dr Hussein Ismail, the founder and director of Embrace’s partner the Learning Centre for the Deaf (LCD) in Lebanon.
Since 2001, the centre has helped plug a gap in Lebanon’s educational and social provision for deaf children by providing specialist pre-school support and also an education programme for teenagers wishing to go onto university.
The centre also leads the way in campaigning for equal rights for Lebanon’s deaf community – including lobbying for improved access to education, employment rights and healthcare support.
We spoke to Dr Hussein about his motivation for starting LCD and the importance of his Christian faith:
I wanted to give deaf people, like myself, a chance to succeed
I am a deaf person myself and I’m very proud of being deaf. My dream is to empower. My dream is to encourage.
I have a doctorate in educational administration and my dream was to have other deaf people also obtaining the highest level of education and show society at large that, if you give them one chance, deaf people can show remarkable capability, that they are able to reach the highest level and that they are productive members of society.
We have 13 schools for deaf children in Lebanon, but they start from grade one and only go to grade nine. And only four of those schools prepare for the official examination at the end of the ninth grade, so what happens when the children graduate from the ninth grade? Where will they go?
And what help is available for parents if, at the age of 1 or 2 months, they discover their baby is deaf?
That is why we established the Learning Centre for the Deaf, to provide important services and programmes and prepare children to be productive citizens in society. As soon as the parents discover that their baby is deaf, they can come to the Learning Centre and we will give them full support, as the parents play an important role in the early development of their deaf children.
And then, when the child gets to 14 or 15 years old, they can come back to the centre and enrol in our high school education programme for the deaf for three years, so that they can study for the official examination set by the Minister of Education in Lebanon. When they pass the exam, they can go to any university in Lebanon or worldwide, and show society that nothing can stop them from fulfilling their dreams, if given one chance.
Early years support at the Learning Centre for the Deaf.
Dr Hussein with recent graduates of the Learning Centre for the Deaf’s High School Education Programme.
We are changing society so it’s more inclusive
In Lebanon there is not so much human rights for people with disabilities, especially for deaf people. That is why we have established an advocacy programme so we can fight, we can lobby with the government to provide minimum rights for deaf people.
And we also run an awareness program. We go on social media, on television and provide lectures and sessions about the wellbeing of deaf people and the culture of the deaf community.
And we are giving deaf people more information, more empowerment, more advocacy so that they know what to speak of on their own behalf – and not only for themselves, but for their brothers and sisters and their children.
Promoting awareness and understanding for the deaf community in Lebanon.
We have seen a great impact over the last 24 years. We have seen how the development of education and the development of concepts around deaf people have dramatically changed – positively and remarkably changed.
This gives us a great motivation, so we continue to serve deaf people in Lebanon. What is not available in Lebanon, we try to provide – with God’s guidance, with God’s protection and encouragement.
We proclaim our Christian faith not by word, but by deed
When somebody enters the Learning Centre for the Deaf, we don’t proclaim Christianity by word, but by action – allowing people of different nationalities, of different religions to come into the world where the Christian spirit is living. At the Learning Centre we have a motto that’s based on the Bible – the Lord’s golden rule. It’s in Matthew seven, verse twelve – “in everything do to others, what you would like them do to you”. When somebody walks into our centre, they feel loved, they feel cared for.
We are blessed, so we can bless others who are in need of services, who are in need of help, who are in need of love, and we can make a big change in the lives of deaf people.
Experience during the recent crises in 2024
The year 2024 presented us with extraordinary challenges as Lebanon continued to face ongoing crises due to the war. These events impacted various aspects of our work, but our commitment to supporting children remained steadfast.
The challenges we encountered were unlike any we have faced since the founding of the Centre in 2002. However, we did our utmost to continue serving the children during these difficult times.
Despite the hardships, we are deeply grateful to Almighty God for His constant guidance and protection, as well as for the blessings He has bestowed upon us. He understands the needs of both the Centre and the children we serve, always providing at the perfect time.
As Psalm 46:10 reminds us: “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” We place our full trust in Him, knowing that He is powerful and in control, watching over our lives, our challenges, and the services we provide.
LOSING YOUR HEARING THEN YOUR HOME
Find out how the LCD was able to help Khaled and his family when his home was destroyed in the recent Israel-Hezbollah war.
FAMILIES WHO’VE LOST EVERYTHING IN
LEBANON ARE STRUGGLING TO RECOVER
Please support our partners as they help families in crisis.
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