CAHL: Center for the Armenian Handicapped in Lebanon
Home for the Armenian Elderly
CAHL has come up with the following Aid Support programs:
Sponsoring the lunch of "One day out of 365 days" of the year, (500 US$)
Adopting an elderly (Annually 1200 US$). Sponsoring a one day trip for the elderly $500
Donating Any Amount in Any Currency. (For more details kindly contact CAHL at
961-1-260533
; 961-1-260534 or email: cahl.lebanon@gmail.com
Finally, we read a plea in Psalm 71:17-18 , "O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." CAHL wants to remain faithful to the word of God and through Gods grace and guidance, it will remain God's tool to care for the physical and spiritual needs of our elderly by providing them a caring environment that enhances the quality of their life. "A community or a nation is appraised by the way it treats its weakest members", this is a phrase, the variants of which is repeated throughout the history by different people. It would follow then, that the more Christian a community is or claims to be, the more attentive it should be to the well-being of its less fortunate members - the handicapped, the incapacitated, the marginalized, the mentally challenged, the elderly, the destitute, the "weak". "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me". (Mathew 25:40)
CAHL is an acronym for “Center for the Armenian Handicapped in Lebanon”. CAHL, which is located in the North-East of Beirut (a densely populated suburb and mostly by Armenians), is an institution jointly run by the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East and the Armenian Orthodox Church – Catholicossate of Cilicia. It serves the entire Armenian community in Lebanon, irrespective of denominational or political affiliation. The roots of CAHL go back to 1915, to the massacres unleashed by the Turks against defenseless Armenian men, women and children. Present in Turkey at the time were a number of Protestant missionaries operating schools and hospitals in Armenian communities. As Turkish savagery depopulated these communities, the missionaries did what they could, under difficult and dangerous conditions, to save the lives of Armenian children in their communities. These children, now orphaned, numbered in the thousands. They were protected, cared for and, as conditions permitted, moved to safer areas in Syria and Lebanon. One missionary couple, who devoted their adult lifetime to caring for these young victims of “brutality, pestilence and war” were Dr. Jacob Kuenzler and his wife Elisabeth. Dr. Kuenzler first went to Turkey in 1895 as a medical missionary from Switzerland, in time to witness the general massacre instigated by the Turkish Sultan that year against the Armenian population. Dr. Kuenzler’s daughter, Ida, later described her parents as follows:
“Jacob Kuenzler joined a German mission at Urfa in Turkey in the closing years of the last century. He was to serve the Armenian community in Turkey in the closing years of the last century. He was to serve the Armenian community in Turkey for twenty-five years during the appalling days of massacre and revolt. His marriage to Elizabeth in 1905 had brought an ideal life-partner and together they faced the dangers and hardships of this terrible time." In the early 1920’s Papa and Mama Kuenzler began working for the Near East Relief Organization and their abiding achievement was in evacuating thousands of Armenian orphans from Turkey to the security of Lebanon. Here they were in charge of an orphanage in the beautiful village of Ghazir. Not only did the orphans find the love and care they so desperately needed, but they were taught useful trades and prepared for their future life. In a further great phase of their careers Papa and Mama Kuenzler in the 1930’s transformed the lives of refugees in Beirut by setting up pioneer houses and homes for widows. Once again they taught these unfortunate people self-reliance and brought them dignity and hope. By 1922 the number of Armenian orphans who had been brought to Aleppo, Syria exceeded the resources of the local orphanage. The near East Relief Organization decided to send 120 blind orphans to an orphanage in Jerusalem that Maintained a section for blind children. The group got as far as Lebanon but was Unable to reach its destination because the British authorities in Palestine refused to admit them without payment of a large fee per child. This impasse lasted for several months, as the blind orphans in Lebanon waited in squalid makeshift quarters. Dr. Kuenzler at this time was in charge of a girls' orphanage in Lebanon. When he heard about the blind orphans, he arranged to have them brought to his orphanage, where he and his wife made room for them and provided the love and care that nurtured the children physically and spiritually. In 1926 another Swiss missionary, Mr. Theodore Visser, was given the responsibility of supervising the blind orphans. He and his wife, Alice, ran this orphanage for 20 years. In 1946 the orphanage was moved to the Bourj Hammoud sector of Beirut and, under its new name, “Institute for the Blind”, was run by Mr. Karl Meyer and his wife Marta. In 1963 Mr. Peter Braunschweig and his wife Heidi took charge of the Institute. In 1964 the Institute was handed over to the Armenian Evangelical community. At that time an old age home section was added to the Institute, consequently, its present name was given to the institute to reflect its scope. In 1968 Mr. Felix Zeigler was appointed as manager of the Center. During this 14 years he and his wife Hannah ran the Center, handicraft classes were expanded and a new building for the elderly was begun. When the Zeiglers retired in 1982, the supervisory duties were assigned to Mr. Krikor Bizdikian, who became the Center’s first Armenian director. In 1988 Mr. Kevork Karaboyadjian took charge of the Center. His enthusiasm and vision carried CAHL to a new dimension. The new director, Pastor Sebouh Terzian, assumed his responsibility on February 1, 2012. Over the years the services provided by CAHL have gradually changed, in step with the changing needs of the Armenian community in Lebanon. Part of the CAHL's services in the past have been a school and a workshop for the blind and the deaf. Structured classes were offered for children and young people who were blind or deaf. We thank God for the advancement of medicine which has reduced the blind and the deaf numbers drastically. Currently, CAHL's main services are through:
Providing Services. Services rendered to about 20 non-resident individuals and families who are desperately poor. (This help is in the form of meals, laundry service, bathing facilities and basic medical screening). Shelter. CAHL shelters several residents, two of them are adult blinds and the rest are mentally challenged grow- ups. The Old Age Home. CAHL’s largest and most active service is the Old Age Home. We say HOME and not an institution, because we feel taking care of our elderly should be done in their homes and if there are other reasons for which they have to be cared for outside their personal homes, then it should feel like HOME. Under CAHL's care is currently 116 elderly women and men, half of whom are in the home’s hospital wing and require regular medical attention. The elderly are provided with shelter, meals, nursing, medical attention and most of all with love and care. Starting November 2013, professional assistance for children with special needs have started in the premise. It is a joint venture with the Howard Karagoezian Foundation. The children are students but need to overcome certain difficulties to achieve better; hence the program of children with special needs. The prolonged civil war in Lebanon and the instability in the region have been the constant source of inflation and economic deterioration in the country. We thank God, for its divine providence by which CAHL is continuing its ministry. We are also grateful to the FRIENDS of CAHL (partners, individuals and local institutions) for their continuous support. A center like CAHL needs a big family of staff (professionals, care-givers, nurses, helpers, cleaners, physiotherapists, office staff, etc.) to be able to serve smoothly, competently, and most of all to serve with care, love and kindness so that our elderly live their lives in relative comfort and dignity. CAHL should remain a source of pride for the Armenians and worthy of their support.
