* The Congregation was established in France in 1829 by Saint Mary Euphrasia Pelletier.

* The Order entered the Middle East in 1845 and Syria in 1982 at the request of the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate, to address the needs of the Syrian society at that time, especially in caring for women and girls who were victims of domestic violence. A home was provided by the Congregation for the nuns to reside in, to receive and care for women and girls in need.

* The Order is present in 72 countries worldwide.

* They provide services to those deprived of hope and love, marginalized and homeless individuals, and those who have lost their human dignity, regardless of their background, religion, or ethnicity. They advocate for women, children, families, and strive to promote social justice.

* In 1996, the Congregation was recognized as a member of the United Nations.

Spirituality of the Congregation

Saint Mary Euphrasia understood the spirituality of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity, making it the spiritual legacy of her new Congregation. This spirituality is characterized by the mercy of the Good Shepherd and his care for the flock, making him the model for her community.

The Apostolic Vision of the Order

“I must not be confined to one corner of the earth. As for me, I do not want to be called French. I am Italian, English, German, Spanish … I am from every country where there are people in need of salvation…. To fulfil the will of God, I will travel the world.”

At the time of Saint Mary Euphrasia’s death in 1868, the Congregation had 110 houses spread across the globe, at a time when transportation and communication methods available today were not accessible. Today, the Order consists of nearly 4,300 members in apostolic and contemplative branches living in 532 communities across 72 countries.

The Mission of the Order

• To have within you the feelings and sentiments of Jesus the Good Shepherd.
• As a religious order, we seek to live out mercy and reconciliation by achieving social justice.
• Our mission is to be with women, children, and families, and with all those in need of assistance.

Projects of the Congregation in Damascus

* The Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd started in 1995, sponsoring children and families from various areas.

* In 2003, Al-Barza housing was one of the most important of these areas, where support was provided for the Christian formation children, scouts activities. Psychological, social, and legal support was also given for families in the area to spread the message of love and deepen communication between individuals and families.

* Accompanying the reception of a large number of Iraqi brothers in the area, the mission of the monastery has grown and expanded to reach a larger number of beneficiaries, in order to reach more people who have been hurt by life and displacement.

* The projects of the monastery continued until early 2011 and the outbreak of the war in Syria, where the scope of work focused more on Syrians.

* The monastery launched a number of relief projects directed towards the people of our beloved country until the end of 2019, which included:

   – In-kind assistance.

   – Food and health supplies.

   – Educational assistance for students.

   – Medical projects.

   – Rent for housing.

Prison Service

Providing legal and financial support for female prisoners and their children since 1988 until 2018 through:

1. Regular weekly visits to the prison.
2. Providing legal consultations for female prisoners by appointed lawyers.
3. Following up on cases of indigent inmates in courts, and monitoring the legal procedures to register their children who are unregistered or born out of wedlock.
4. Assisting them in obtaining official documents to replace those damaged, burnt, lost, and liaising with immigration departments and relevant authorities to resolve the issues of foreign female prisoners and facilitating their return to their countries.
5. Providing in-kind assistance such as women’s clothing, medical and personal needs, providing infant formula for babies, milk for older children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and providing underwear for children, as well as clothing, shoes, and socks.

The Constant Vision

– Breaking the silence surrounding domestic violence, supporting and protecting victims, and empowering them.

– Achieving mental health, social justice, and civil rights.

– Collaborating with governmental institutions and non-profit organizations.

Our centres emerged from the core of our mission and vision

The message of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd is built on mercy, reconciliation, standing with the afflicted, marginalized, and those harmed by life, upholding justice and respecting human rights, providing a safe haven for women and girls exposed to violence and exploitation, and supporting all family members in making proper family and community decisions.

Several centres and teams have emerged from this message that deal with psychological, social, legal, and psychiatric issues, working at the preventive, educational, therapeutic, and family support levels.

At present, we have the following centres:

First: Shelter

The objectives of the shelter: Since 1982, the shelter in Damascus welcomes all women, girls, and young children of both genders who are exposed to exploitation or violence from all nationalities and religions. Psychological, social, health, and legal assistance is provided by psychologists, social workers, and lawyers.

Shelter services:

• Providing a physically and mentally safe place for women, young women, and children.
• Providing medicine, clothing, food, and all daily life requirements.
• Listening and daily accompaniment.
• Training on moral, human, and spiritual values.
• Education through literacy classes and empowerment courses for girls in primary and secondary education, and legal services.

Targeted numbers: Approximately 50 women annually with their children.

Secondly: Trust Phone Centre

* The Trust Phone Centre was opened on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25/11/2007.

* The unique feature of our project is the hotline (9219-011), it is the first in Syria to provide listening services to cases and victims of domestic violence in Syria who are in need of psychological, social, or legal assistance through a specialized team that provides psychological, social, and legal support services confidentially and with complete neutrality in order to help them adapt and restore their mental health, with psychiatric services offered when necessary and a focus on children and teenagers through various programs.

* Since its establishment, the centre has provided and continues to provide its services free of charge.

* Targeted number: Approximately 1200 beneficiaries annually.

Trust Phone Centre services:

• Listening, counselling, advice, and empowerment services.
• Individual therapy and psychological and social support sessions.
• Group therapy and social support sessions. Psychiatric services.
• Pharmacological therapy services.
• Speech and language services.
• Legal consultations.
• Awareness sessions on various psychological, social, and medical topics.
• Possibility of providing some of these services over the phone or via social media (ONLINE) in Damascus and other provinces.

In addition to the previous services, in line with the goals of the mission of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd and in harmony with the teachings of the church to preserve the unity of the Christian family, its stability, and adherence to the sanctity of marriage.

Several services have been developed to serve this purpose, including:

• Family Reconciliation Service specialized in resolving family disputes.
• Family Counselling Service specializing in quality and family counselling.

Thirdly: Family Support Centre

Wars and crises have psychological and social effects on society, families in general, and children in particular as they go through a stage of intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development. This may cause them many problems, which manifest in various forms (nightmares, introversion, anxiety, lack of security, fear of loss, behavioural disorders, disobedience, increased violence and aggression, etc.). Therefore, our children today are in great need of care, attention, guidance, and counselling.

This calls for psychological and social support, care, and giving them more attention, as well as guiding their parents towards better treatment under difficult circumstances.

The project targets 300 children annually with their approximately 600 parents.

Therefore, Family Support Project sessions were conducted by a team consisting of care providers (psychological and social specialists, facilitators) where the team provides comprehensive, psychological, and social support for families through an integrated program based on the psychological and social needs of all age groups within their psychological and social growth stages. It includes important topics, life skills, and meaningful activities.

Monastic projects in Homs

First: Church of the Resurrection

The Church of the Resurrection / Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd / has been and still is a source of culture, education, peaceful living, love, and coexistence since its establishment in the 1980s through providing Christian formation, educational formation, and psychosocial support.

Despite the war that our beloved country has gone through, the church continues to hold the Holy Mass weekly and celebrate all religious events concurrently with the sacred mission of Christian formation for all educational stages, in addition to continuing our core mission of welcoming women and girls exposed to violence, and our ongoing support for women in Homs Central Prison, and supporting families in Homs through awareness sessions and family visits.

All these services are provided at the psychosocial, social, and educational support centre of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, located in the Akrama area.

Second: Christian Formation Project

This project benefits the families of the parish and their children, reaching 300 Christian families, in order to support the parish and its members and empower them psychologically and socially to achieve social and psychological well-being and raise educational standards. All of these services are provided at the Christian Education Centre in the Church of the Resurrection in the Akrama area.

Third: Psychosocial Educational Support Project

This project benefits the families of the parish in the Church of the Resurrection in Homs, to support the parish and its children, with an annual number of 160 beneficiaries, and empower them psychologically and socially to achieve social and psychological well-being and raise educational standards.

The services provided include:

Educational support:

Educational follow-ups for elementary school children (first and second grades) daily in an interactive manner.

Active learning strategies and educational follow-ups for students in elementary and secondary school provided by specialized teachers.

Psychosocial support:

The target age group is children from 6 to 18 years old. This program is supervised by psychologists and social workers in collaboration with a group of facilitators, and includes sessions for life skills development, awareness sessions, recreational activities, a meal, as well as individual follow-ups for children by the specialist when needed.

Psychological support sessions for the mothers of the children:

This service is provided in monthly group sessions, in addition to individual sessions with the psychologist upon request from the beneficiary.

Fourth: Prison Project

In recent years, the services provided in prisons have been minimized due to low economic conditions and the absence of supporting associations, resulting in neglect of female prisoners in various aspects.

Project aim: To achieve social and psychological well-being for female prisoners (approximately 80 prisoners annually) and their children, and to work on improving the educational level of the children.

The added value of our project is to provide psychosocial support to develop positive traits in female prisoners and support them in overcoming pressures and disorders they may suffer from, such as anxiety and depression.

Fifth: Consultation and Psychological Services Project

The aim of the project is to achieve psychological well-being for the community in all its categories.

The target group includes children and their families, numbering approximately 160 children and around 320 parents annually.

Psychological support services are provided by specialists and psychologists to individuals outside the centre who suffer from psychological problems (trauma, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, etc.).