L’Arche is a fraternal group that welcomes individuals with intellectual disabilities and integrates them into family life and work.
A House for the Intellectually Disabled, Established in 1995
Under the care of the Latin Patriarchate in Syria
Damascus – Al Qeimariyyeh neighbourhood – near Al Mostaqeem street
Phone 5442999 / 5424115
The House
L’Arche is a home and a fraternal community, established in the image of “The Ark,” in a neighbourhood in the city to welcome intellectually disabled individuals who do not have families or support from society.
Helpers participate in the lives of people with disabilities, living a simple life with the same daily routines:
- – Life means waking up in the morning, bathing, cooking, eating, and going to work.
- – It also means showing courage to do all of this well and doing it with others.
- – It also means resting, watching television, going for walks, receiving and visiting friends, and celebrating community members’ birthdays.
- – It also means communal prayer and looking at the world and its beauty.
- – It’s a simple life, but not always easy. There are joys, sorrows, sensitivities, and tensions. But all of these are ways for everyone to grow, transcend our fears, and seek forgiveness.
The Operator
L’Arche’s house cannot accommodate everyone. As long as a family can care for a disabled person, it is best for them to remain close to their family and not be removed from their surroundings. However, families need help in raising their disabled children. That is why L’Arche has opened the flame of awareness, aiming to help young people grow, flourish, and discover the beautiful things in life.
This flame during the day engages disabled individuals whose expressive abilities are still limited. Leaving the house for a disabled person and going to work represent a significant step towards growth and integration into society. For families, a new hope appears on the horizon!
The disabled individuals’ days are filled with activities in drawing, music, kitchen work, educational games, physical exercise, and psychomotor exercises. Three trainers supervise and lead this operator.
Supporting Families
Families also need help, advice, and understanding. In that sense, L’Arche offers a service to support families by helping them medically by introducing them to specialized doctors, and helping them humanitarianly by visiting them, encouraging them, and providing them with advice.
Through its house, operator, and support for families, L’Arche aims to declare that these marginalized, neglected, and humiliated individuals who live without a future nor hope have found integration into a humane community that has restored hope to them by recognizing that each person has unique value.
