REIZENs01

Working visit 16 November to 1 December 2025

This working visit actually consists of 2 visits that were carried out simultaneously.

On November 16, Bart Timmermans has already left for Beirut. Bart is an ICT specialist associated with our foundation. He was met by Hagop. A nice reunion for both.

The MER room in the school in Beirut, where we took the first steps towards a well-functioning Wi-Fi network system in 2022, now looks fantastic.

In the past summer months, Hagop and Michel, supported by Bart and Abdullah from the Netherlands, have converted the entire MER room.

What an improvement. Well done guys!

Day One
Up early today because
Transavia has changed the flight schedule!Instead of leaving in the afternoon, we are already leaving at 6:55 a.m. from Schiphol Airport, where it is raining. We now have a whole day to enjoy in the sun in Beirut, after a flight that took 4.5 hours.
Jeannet has to open her suitcase at security because they think there is a suspicious package inside. She is asked questions about the switch and the access points that Bart still needs at one of the schools. They are all used items, so she is allowed to continue.
We are met by Georges and this time Youssef is our driver. Georges says Youssef is the best driver in Lebanon, along with Afif.
After checking into the Commodore Hotel in the Hamra area, we are visited by people from Tyre.

Wanssa, Alia, Maro, Zainab en Soha.

We can't travel south, so they have come to Beirut especially to see us and give us delicious homemade products and souvenirs.
It is a very nice reunion and we hope we can meet again soon in Tyre and Majdel Zoun, and other places, when we go back. We said goodbye to each other, but not before taking lots of photographs.
We get back into Youssef's van and, after a long drive through the busy streets of Beirut, we arrive at the school where we meet Bart and Hagop.
We are shown around and are happy to see the big differences with our own eyes, especially when we see the children working so happily and enthusiastically on the laptop computers we donated.
At the same time, we realise that there is still a lot to do and that we need to get the system up and running properly for all the buildings and keep it that way.

We end the day with a delicious dinner at the T Marbouta restaurant on Hamra Street, near our hotel and then with a drink at the hotel bar before going to bed.
Tomorrow morning, Youssef will pick us up at 8 o'clock.

Day two
This morning, we visited the school in Hadat with Bart Timmermans.
We were warmly welcomed by the school management and given an extensive tour.

The school receives its internet connection via a satellite link, but this connection is frequently disrupted by Israeli drones flying over the neighbouring district.
There is no network inside the school, so there is still a lot to be done here.

At 11 a.m., we had an appointment with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador to Lebanon in the Netherlands, Mr. Abdel Sattar Issa. It was a pleasant reunion. His involvement with our foundation is very encouraging.

We then had a light lunch at the Place d'Étoile, also known as Neymeh Square. We enjoyed the most delicious kebbeh, freshly made while we waited.

Then on to Bauchrieh for a productive meeting with Sister Rachida and Marie-Jo about the progress of the current project. We were treated to coffee, biscuits and delicious warm Lebanese sandwiches. We left Bart behind so that he could continue his work there. He is also sleeping at the school these days, in one of the guest rooms.

Around 4 p.m., we were expected at the Sisters of the Cross. This is the same clinic where the Pope will be staying and spending the night in 10 days' time during his visit to Beirut. We have supported these sisters several times with many different items, such as incontinence supplies.
To our surprise, during this visit we were invited to meet the patients in this psychiatric clinic.
First, we visited a ward where a large group of young boys live. We were then welcomed in a large hall with enormous applause by more than 200 adult men, and a number of them addressed us and sang to us, mostly in English. All of them are people with wonderful talents, but whom no one else cares about.
Finally, a dozen of them sang for us the song they had specially rehearsed to perform for the Pope in the same place later that day.
They were overjoyed that we were there, and we were moved to tears.

Of course, we were not allowed to take any photos there. So we asked one of the sisters to take a photo of us while we were listening.
We will never forget this afternoon!
We are reminded of why we do what we do as the Veterans for Lebanon Foundation, and we are grateful and happy that we were able to visit here today and meet all these wonderful people.

Day Three
This morning at 8:30 a.m., Georges Farah and our driver for the week, Youssef, arrived to take us to Batroun.
First, we picked up Bart at the SSCC Bauchrieh school, where he'd been working on the computer network since Sunday evening until the early hours of the morning.
Now that we've got everything we need, we're off to the school in Batroun, where we'll stay until Friday evening.
Bart and Mariette, the IT specialist at the school, had already been in close contact remotely via Teams, so it was good to finally meet each other in person and see the school with our own eyes.
As well as Mariette, the headmistress, Sister Aline, and the head of technical services, Gaby, welcomed us. It was really nice to get to know each other and chat about what they want and what's possible.
Then we got shown round all the corridors and rooms, and meet a few of the other sisters, staff and people who work at the school.

We've been to Batroun a few times on our veterans' trips. It's a gorgeous old town on the coast, with the famous Phoenician wall running along the water's edge. The waves still break along the shore for the most part. The school is on the coast and we've often walked past it without realising it was a school building.
The oldest part of the building, where the offices are now, dates from 1888.
After the tour, we were treated to a delicious lunch.
Then we measured all the rooms so Bart and Siem can get a working drawing together later.
It was great to get stuck in again.

At half past two, we said goodbye because we had an appointment with Chukri at our hotel in Beirut at 4 o'clock.
He's trying to improve the social life of four neighbouring villages in southern Lebanon. These villages have been really badly affected by the war, and the people who live there really need various materials to be self-sufficient, like tools to work the land, and also supplies for emergency services, like firefighting equipment.

Before this trip, we'd already started collecting these items, and Bert had brought a firefighting suit with him to see if it would be useful. And it certainly was. We said goodbye with gratitude and joy for everything we've done so far, and for everything we'll be able to do in the future, and we're hoping to meet again soon in the south of Lebanon.

It was another special day.

Day Four
We had the last breakfast at the Commodore Hotel in Beirut before checking into the Aleph Hotel in Byblos later this evening. We board Youssef's comfortable minibus at 8:30 a.m.
The plan was to visit the orphanage in Zahle today, but unfortunately Georges got a message late last night saying we had to postpone the visit for some reason.
It's a real shame. Maybe we'll be able to go on Saturday. We'll have to wait and see.
So we quickly made new plans for today, which again led to a very special day.

First, we were invited to check out the fire station in the port of Beirut. We were made to feel right at home by the Fire Brigade Commander, General Maher Al Ajouz.
In the massive explosion at the port on 4 August 2020, nine men and one woman from this brigade lost their lives. Their photos are displayed all along the front of the station, and there's a monument on the grounds to honour these firefighters and all the others who lost their lives while fighting fires. You can find their names on two plaques behind the monument.

We were very impressed by the stories. For Charles, it was extra special to be here.
He knows what it's like to lose colleagues while on the job because he was a firefighter during the fireworks disaster in Enschede.
The commander was also really interested in everything we do as the VVL Foundation.
They've got their equipment pretty well sorted, especially thanks to some donations from France. It's good to see and hear.

After that, we were able to get an appointment with Vincent van Ophem, the Dutch military attaché in Beirut, around noon. It was another welcome reunion and a very pleasant conversation.

On our way to Byblos, we stopped at the Bauchrieh school for a quick toilet break. We were in for a treat, thanks to the preparations for Independence Day, which is this Saturday. The video says it all. It's great to see so much positivity in the face of such tough challenges.

The sun sets early here, around 4:30 p.m. today, which was when we were able to check into our second hotel of the week in Byblos.
And the evening was full of surprises too. Marie-Jo suggested we go to her favourite restaurant, Fenica, for a drink. We were almost finished with our beer when the waiter surprised us with an 11 o'clock treat. This had been remotely ordered by ... Marie-Jo.

It was a nice surprise, so we had a toast to Lebanon with the waiter.

It feels like a warm summer evening here. We rounded off the evening with a nice walk along the harbour and a delicious dinner at Malena. We feel really lucky.

Day five
Waking up in Byblos is always a pleasant experience.
The view from the breakfast table of the Crusader castle and the Mediterranean Sea is nothing short of spectacular, and when we look to the right, Beirut is clearly visible.
Georges suggests visiting the fortress of Mseillah. The fortress has undergone a restoration project over the past two years. A meeting is being organised by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism today. This is a unique and excellent opportunity to expand our network.
At the end of the tour of the fort and the adjacent restored watermill, we are treated to traditional Lebanese bread rolls, coffee and tea.

After a busy week, we are going to relax for the rest of the day.
We drive into the mountains and visit the monasteries with the tombs of Saint Rafka, Saint Hardini and Estephan.

The weather is beautiful and the serene tranquillity here is very enjoyable.
Then, at the end of the afternoon, we drive to Batroun and catch the beautiful sunset. We'll take some photos and then walk to the school to pick up Bart, who'll take us to Byblos.

We will definitely grab a delicious cup of ice cream at Hilmi's first.

Day six
And then it's Saturday again. This is our last full day here. On Sunday, we will return to our cold little country.
The day was dedicated to visiting the orphanage in Zahle.
We were expected there around 1 p.m., which gave us time to visit the ancient Roman city of Anjar beforehand. Bart came with us today.
We were able to show him more of the beauty of this country. He had seen little more than the schools where he works when he is here.
We drove via Damascus Road, over the top of Lebanon Mountain, via Chtaura into the Bekaa Valley. We stopped for coffee and knefeh and drove past Zahle towards Anjar.
The visit to the ancient city was another enjoyable and impressive experience, thanks to Georges' excellent explanations. We were the only tourists at this special historical site.

We then went to the Ksara wine castle, where we bought a bottle of Eau de Vie to take back to the Netherlands tomorrow.

Then straight to the orphanage. We had no idea what or who we would find there.
We were immediately struck by the unmistakable cheerfulness and warmth that emanated from the house upon arrival.
The orphanage was founded 30 years ago by Sister/Mother Virgini, a compassionate woman on a mission.
She came from a wealthy family, by Lebanese standards.
She founded this orphanage. Her father was reluctant, but her mother supported her.
The furniture and other furnishings have not changed in 30 years. It is well maintained, which is necessary because since 2021, no more money has been coming in from the government. It is vital that the money from donations is used to purchase food and provide good education. The rest is less important.

There are currently 65 children living there, and Sister Virgini has adopted 17 children, aged between 0 and 33.
The oldest children have good jobs and some of them help out in the "family".
We brought a large box of chocolates for all the children and a few bags full of beautifully knitted jumpers and cardigans in all sizes from the Netherlands.
These were lovingly made by the wife of a Unifil veteran.

It was great to see how well they were received here.

We were given coffee and biscuits, and a large group of children came in to sing songs for us.
A Christmas market was set up in the adjoining garden room to generate income, where everyone could buy homemade items. We bought some tablecloths for Christmas before we left and now we know exactly what this orphanage needs.

In Zahle, Bart, Charles and Jeannet climbed the watchtower with The Lady of Zahle. The lift wasn't working, but the view over the Bekaa Valley is phenomenal, so we took the stairs.

Next to the Lady of Zahle, a brand new Russian Orthodox church has been built, and we had to stop and take a look there too before driving back to Byblos.

In Byblos we said goodbye to Georges.

Day seven
We are back home after a week full of special and valuable experiences.
We went to different projects to see and hear what items we can collect in the coming period.
We might not be able to find all the items we want to put in the container in February, but we'll try our best and we need everyone to help.

We will make a list, so check our Facebook page and/or our website for more information.

The temperature difference is huge – from 27 degrees in Lebanon to a mere 7 degrees here in the Netherlands, but we have nothing, absolutely nothing, to complain about.
Bart is going to stay at the schools for another week. We left him in Beirut, at the last place we stopped. We had a coffee there before we said goodbye to him and Hagop.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who followed us over the past week, travelled with us and said nice things about us. It was great fun reporting on this.

Please keep following us and share the link to our Facebook page Stichting VVL, Veteranen voor Libanon | Facebook, because we can only make a difference if everyone supports us.