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IC NEWSLETTER -
SPRING 2009 9
Feature
From a distance, it’s just an apartment building amidst
a crowded block of unpainted concrete in a poor
neighborhood of Nabaa. But for the 130 children who
come to the building it’s magic. Every afternoon and on
Saturdays, here is where they learn to dance, act, draw,
sing, play the piano and guitar.
This is where Nour Dia, 11, spends her Saturdays. This is
her getaway from the tiny room which she shares with her
mother and four brothers.
“I love acting the most,” she said as she takes a break from
the improvisation games that her drama teacher was
leading. “I’d like to become an actress.”
The reality, however, is that she will not. As soon as she
graduates from public school, she will probably need to
seek employment to help support the family. But for a few
afternoons a week and on Saturdays, she comes here to
dream.
“Why can’t poor children have dreams too?” said Maya
Najjar, the president of Ayadina, the NGO she founded,
with a group of women, to open a fine and performing
arts center. “My children had this chance at IC. They were
lucky to go to an elite private school and get the best
things in life.”
At IC, Najjar’s daughters spent many years with the music
and performing arts clubs. They spent many memorable
hours at rehearsals. “And it was with a shock that I realized
that public schools have no place for these extra curricular
activities,” she said. “They do not have exposure to arts
and culture. There are no music lessons or drama which
in my books are not a luxury, they are essential in a child’s
development.”
Hence, she got the idea of establishing Ayadina. The NGO
was launched five years ago and has since welcomed 130
children ages 5 to 15. Dozens more are on the waiting list.
Each child pays a symbolic fee of 5000LL per month. Some
teachers are volunteers and some are paid professionals.
Parents have reported that their children are“less aggressive
and doing better in school,” said Najjar. “What would they
be doing otherwise? Playing on the streets. Here we help
them develop their talents and protect them against
idleness and delinquency.”
During the day, when the children are at school, the
Ayadina center is turned into a senior citizens club.
Almost one hundred elderly come to the center to meet,
have breakfast, and join the various activities including a
physical exercise class, improvisation theatre and games.
Medical assistance is also provided. They are often taken
on field trips.
No sooner do they leave the center then the children
begin to arrive.
Among them is 11-year-old Maroun Aalam who can’t wait
for the drawing lessons every Saturday. “I’ve always loved
to draw and paint,” he said as he deftly drew trees leaves
and a flower vase on the paper before him. Under the
guidance of the teacher, he started mixing the appropriate
paints. “We sometimes draw at school but never paint. All I
want to do is just draw and paint. I can do this all day long.”
In the adjoining room, several little girls are learning to plié
in the ballet class. In the apartment below, a small boy is
practicing on the piano while a drama class is under way
near by. More children arrive.
“This is where dreams come true,” said Najjar. “These
children - some of them talented - would never have had a
chance like this anywhere else.”
Still, as all NGOs, Ayadina heavily depends on donations.
Running the center costs $4,000 a month. Najjar spends
most of her time organizing various fundraising events.
In December, the IC Senior Choir and the Little Cherubs
and the ACS Saxophone quartet donated all the proceeds
from its Benefit Christmas Concert to Ayadina and another
NGO, Toufoula.
For more information/donations/volunteer opportunities
aboutAyadina, call: 03852700or01266611. (email:ayadina@
gmail.com – http://ayadina.wordpress.com)
The center where
dreams come true