In 2006, the Social Welfare Institutions’ (SWI) high aspirations met with Mr. Ibrahim El Hibri’s, our late engineer benefactor and member of the board of trustees of SWI, and as a result thereof, the social and humanitarian care project was funded thanks to his generous contributions.
After Mr. El Hibri passing away (May God rest his soul in peace), the Institutions pursued the implementation of the project from 2009 to 2012 thanks to the generous financial support of the El Hibri Charity Foundation and in particular of his sons, of which Mr. Fouad El Hibri’s contributions, to whom we are very grateful.

True to their mission consisting in social development project creation and social services, the SWI focused their attention in the early seventies on the regions comprised between Beirut close suburbs and the city of Damur (Al-Qobbeh, Chueifat, Khaldeh, Bchamun, Dawhat Aramon and Ne’meh) which have witnessed an influx of thousand of families coming from the capital. It is to be noted that as early as 1963, Dar Al Aytam Al Islamiya had acquired property in these regions and started establishing establishments and centres such as, in that order, the Complex for the Development of Human Capacities, Al Mutqan Nursery and, lastly, Al-Qobbeh Social Complex for Care and Development.

Al-Qobbeh Complex stands out among the Social Welfare Institutions - Dar Al Aytam Al Islamiya centres and establishments for its specially conceived architecture which includes ergonomic facilities, playgrounds and green areas as well as inside pathways connecting its various departments. The structures designs are respectful of the environmental conditions, in particular weatherwise and comprise ecological ventilation and lighting systems. Moreover, the surrounding land has been reforested and the newly planted trees are part of the farm training program. Finally, the Complex site enjoys an exceptional panoramic view on the sea and the splendid surrounding landscape.

Care services provided by the complex:
The Complex can accomodate up to 800 beneficiaries including orphans, socially disadvantaged people, out of school children and young people, working mothers and newborn babies. At the present it hosts 270 beneficiaries allocated to the following departments:
-    Internal care
-    Day care
-    Family support

Internal care:
This service is designed to host one month-old to 14 year-old infants, children and teenagers who are orphans or left with no support, and provides them with housing, clothing, care and education, learning and medical care as well as inhouse and external leisure activities, monitored by specialised educators.

Day care:
Education field:
Dedicated education programs are designed for 7 to 14 year-old children who are out of school or lagging behind in their studies, and are based on scientific ways and methods in accordance with the children’s needs; and aim at helping them to reintegrate the official education system.

Professional training:
This department was opened in 2015 to host young girls and boys who are out of school or in a situation of social exclusion. It aims at training the beneficiaries and preparing them to the professions that correspond to their natural abilities and to the employment market needs. The workshops planned by the Institutions comprise cosmetic care for men and women, tailoring, computer science and other fields according to the regions assessed needs.

Family support:
The Complex provides care services to the families whether in internal or day-care with a view to ensure that all the family members enjoy proper social, cultural, learning and sanitary awareness. Further, the Complex is presently considering its capacities enlargement with a view to include the neighbouring families to whom it would propose development programs answering their urgent needs and helping them to overcome their social and family difficulties.

Nurseries services for working mothers’ children:
The nurseries have been set up in order to enhance women’s social role and allow them to integrate the job market whereas their children are well taken care of during their work schedules.
They host from birth to 4 year-old children with or without disabilities and implement a pedagogical program adapted to the various stages, under the management of a team of specialists.

Theatre:
The Complex premisses include a theater hall specially equipped to host recreative and cultural activities, whether internal or external and complementary. The department offers theatre training to children as a way of free expression in particular through psychodrama therapy.