NNA - Former Head of the Organization for the Defense of Christians in the Middle East “IDC”, Tonia Khouri, accompanied by head of “Norouj” association, Dr. Fouad Abu Nader, toured Aqoura region, where they met with Aqoura’s Deputy Mayor, Brigadier General Assad Al-Hashem.
In the wake of the tour, Khouri said: "My tour in Aqoura today, accompanied by deputy mayor, Brigadier General Assad Al-Hashem, as well as the founder of "Norouj" association, aims to learn more about the development projects in the area in a bid to promote tourism and create job opportunities for the Lebanese in their homeland.”
In turn, Al-Hashem welcomed Khouri, stressing the importance of developing the region in order to encourage people and give them a reason to stay in their land, and transform the region into a tourist destination par excellence.
As for Abu Nader, he thanked Khouri and Al-Hashem, noting that the goal of “Norouj” association is to create development projects in remote areas to help people stay in their land, as well as to develop and introduce the Lebanese to the beauty of Lebanon.
"We are in the process of establishing a project with the municipality of Aqoura to create an appropriate atmosphere to encourage tourists to visit Aqoura,” he added.
Khouri then visited Gemmayzeh, where she inspected "Doroob" social center funded by the Norge Foundation and got acquainted with the objectives of the center that helps the children of the area.
Khouri’s next stop was a visit to the Archbishop of Antelias, Archbishop Antoine Abi Najem, at the Diocese headquarters in Qornet Shahwan, with whom she discussed the best means to cooperate to improve the conditions of Christians in Lebanon.
After the meeting, Khouri said: “One of the goals behind my tour today is to help promote a better future for the Lebanese people.”
In response to a question, she said: "Today, I visited the town of Aqoura and saw its needs, then I moved to the community center in Doroub, which volunteered to help the people who were affected by Beirut Port explosion. These meetings helped me understand better the situation in Lebanon, and I hope that I will be able to help create new opportunities for the Lebanese.”
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