Serop Ohanian

The Karaghuesian Association for Child Welfare was established in 1941 with the support of the Karagheusian Foundation (based in New York, NY). The Association is registered under Permit No. 2899 signed by the Minister of Social and Interior Affairs at that time, HE, Mr. Saeb Salam, as a primary health care and is officially recognized as a non-governmental organization (NGO) by the Lebanese government. The Karagheusian Association functions under the auspices of the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health and is a member of the High Council of Child Welfare in the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs. The Association operates through several centers: A Primary Healthcare Center in Bourj Hammoud—an overpopulated city north of Beirut; an outreach clinic in Fanar Leilavan; and two small clinics in Ainjar and Mejdel Ainjar in the Beka’a Valley. The Association also offers the community with a multifaceted social-assistance program, tutoring for at-risk youth, a study room, a summer camp, and a pioneering vocational-training program. After the explosion in Beirut on August 4th, 2020, the center identified 100 Armenian families who were unable to visit the Association centers to receive care. In response, we organized a multidisciplinary team, including a physician, nurse, physiotherapist, phlebotomist, and social worker, to reach out with home care support in Lebanon.