The Stouh Beirut Association inaugurated the “Femme du Soleil” center in the town of Choueir, located in the building of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts, during a ceremony held under the patronage of Minister of Social Affairs Haneen El Sayed and Minister of Public Health Dr. Rakan Nasreddine, represented by his advisor Joseph El Helou. The event was attended by Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, Brigadier General Rabih Rostom representing the Minister of National Defense and the Army Commander, a representative of the Minister of Labor Nazha Challita, Joumana Sleilati representing the head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil, former ministers Ziad Makari and Walid Fayad, representatives of security agencies including General Security, State Security, Internal Security Forces, and Civil Defense, Ambassador Mira Daher, former MP Eddy Maalouf, Acting Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation Judge Samaranda Nassar representing the National Commission for Lebanese Women along with an accompanying delegation, Editor-in-Chief Joseph Kassifi, Mayor of Choueir –Ain El-Sindiyaneh Naeem Sawaya and members of the municipal council, Princess Hayat Arslan, along with several media figures, neighboring mayors, dignitaries, and a large crowd of friends and supporters of the association.
The ceremony was presented by media host Neyla Chehwane. Afterwards, Rosy Al-Bonji, Director of Project Development at the association, gave an overview of the project’s goals, the services it provides, and the groups that benefit from it. She also discussed the center’s activities and ways to contribute to supporting its operation.
Next, the association’s founder and president, journalist Dalia Dagher, reviewed the journey of the association, presenting a video showing scenes from the 2024 war period, during which the Lebanese diaspora in France was mobilized to support residents in Lebanon through the severe crisis the country faced emphasizing that the diaspora has always been a fundamental source of support for their homeland.
She continued by presenting the major milestones of the association’s work over the past year leading up to the launch of the Women of the Sun project, showing documents including a map that revealed the extent of assistance provided by the association during the 2024 war, through which it was able to help 380,000 displaced individuals.
Dagher linked the launch of the project to a request from Sister Maya Beaino from Stouh Beirut Association to help displaced individuals who had taken refuge with the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts in Rmeich. She noted that the association, with the assistance of the Lebanese Army, became the first organization to deliver aid to the Rmeich area providing aid worth 80,000 USD, raised through the cooperation of Lebanese from all communities.
She added that “supporting the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts was the spark that started it all,” recounting a conversation with Bishop Cesar Asayan of the Latin Diocese, who encouraged them to expand their humanitarian work, telling her that “you must develop a bigger project that grows into an institution.” Through this encouragement, they met Mother Bernadette Rouhayem, Superior General of the Congregation of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who offered them the possibility of operating the convent, marking a turning point in the association’s journey.
Dagher added that when she first visited the place, she “felt a unique spiritual energy, as if nature itself embraced the light that accompanies every humanitarian initiative.” She explained that the location’s serene view and wide space made it the perfect environment for the Femmes du Soleil center, an embodiment of the association’s belief that empowering women is the first step toward building a more balanced and humane society.
“We wanted to transform this place into a space that resembles the dreams of women who have not yet had the chance to fulfill their potential. A vibrant center with training workshops, production projects, and spaces for expression and creativity, light emanating from the mountain toward all of Lebanon.”
Dagher noted that “this project arose from a need we witnessed through the many requests received by the association not from any political party, donor, or international support. Divine providence intervened to help equip this space.” She also displayed on screen the list of donors who contributed to the project.
At the end of her speech, she thanked all attendees and supporters, noting that the association faces two major challenges. The first is operating the center now that it is equipped by securing support for essential needs such as diesel, food supplies, and administrative expenses in addition to remaining gaps. The second challenge is helping patients seeking treatment, many of whom live in extreme poverty, and for whom the association has been the only refuge for 14 years.
She announced that the annual Telethon will be held on December 23, calling on “all Lebanese to unite in order to achieve these two goals that will transform the lives of many socially, humanely, and professionally in a country suffering a deep economic crisis.”
Joseph El Helou then delivered a speech conveying the greetings of the Minister of Health, affirming that “the state stands by associations within its means, given the successive crises Lebanon has endured and the reduction of the ministry’s budget which dropped to 23 million USD in 2023 after being 480 million USD pre-crisis for healthcare alone.” He pointed out that “the ministry’s budget increased in 2024 to 240 million USD after great effort.”
He emphasized that “the Ministry of Health encourages associations and similar centers,” saying: “This is our duty, for helping others is a blessing and the peak of giving.” He also announced “additional support for all primary healthcare centers through the free distribution of medications especially for chronic diseases alongside significant support for mental health.”
Minister El-Sayed then delivered her speech, saying:
“Sometimes, in a country burdened with crises like Lebanon, we forget that there are still places capable of creating hope and Women of the Sun is one of those places. This initiative carries a name that mirrors its message: warmth, light, and the power to rise no matter how difficult the circumstances become.”
She added:
“Every time I meet women from different Lebanese regions, I hear the same stories: hardships, challenges, but also an unbreakable will. Women in Lebanon have proven that they do not need someone to give them strength they already possess it. What they need is space to use it. This center provides every woman with what she needs to start again: a safe space, psychosocial support, vocational training, and healthcare. But above all, it offers belief in women’s ability to create change.”
She continued:
“At the Ministry of Social Affairs, we are trying to translate this belief into structured institutional work. Over the past months, we have begun rehabilitating social development centers across Lebanon, transforming them from administrative service points into real spaces of life offering social and psychological support, providing local economic empowerment programs, and serving as a bridge between citizens and the state.”
She said:
“Our goal is for people to feel that the state is not distant from them that it accompanies them in their moments of vulnerability just as it does in their moments of recovery. This is why we launched our vision to turn the ministry into a Ministry of Social Development a ministry that plans, builds, and coordinates; a ministry that does more than distribute aid, and instead creates opportunities for dignity and productivity.”
“But success in this path is impossible without partners. And here comes the role of associations and initiatives like Stouh Beirut, founded by Ms. Dalia Dagher who turned human solidarity from an idea into a concrete reality. She proved that civil society, when honest and serious, can complement the state’s role rather than replace it. Dalia, thank you for choosing to plant hope at a time when people need it more than ever.”
She continued:
“I cannot conclude without expressing my appreciation for my colleague, Minister of Public Health Dr. Rakan Nasreddine, with whom we are building a true partnership between health and social affairs. Because the human being is indivisible health, social, and economic needs are interconnected. Any successful policy must see the full picture, not just part of it. Women of the Sun is a step in this direction a step that unites care with empowerment, the state with civil society, action with hope.”
She concluded:
“We need initiatives like this because they remind us that development is not solely a governmental project. It is a collective belief that every person deserves a new chance and that dignity is not granted, but built, day after day, through sincere work and deep faith. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project, and thank you to every woman standing today under Lebanon’s sun, insisting on standing tall no matter how fierce the storms.”
In closing, Elias Bou Saab delivered remarks, welcoming the establishment of the center in the town of Shwayr and announcing the donation of a bus to facilitate transportation to the center. He expressed great confidence in the initiatives led by the President of the “Stouh Beirut” Association.
Bou Saab praised “Dagher’s efforts and her determination to help which is the secret behind her success,” placing his own resources, as well as those of the municipality and the town’s residents, at the disposal of the center so that it may welcome women from all across Lebanon.
He said:
“We are all partners in what Lebanon has become, and today we search for salvation. I say that there is hope. For the first time, I see that we are walking in the right direction step by step, but in the right direction. What matters most is that we understand one another without entering into calculations of gain and loss, because that only leads to further ruin.”
He added:
“The President of the Republic understands the situation and is working calmly but correctly, together with the Speakers of Parliament and Government and with the ministers. Despite occasional tensions, we must reach the end of the road with everyone’s cooperation.”
The ceremony also included a video presentation about the center, and concluded with the ribbon-cutting and a tour of its various departments.
Les Toits de Beyrouth
