The Convent of Ibrahim Al Khalil () is a

Melkite Greek Catholic The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (, ''Kanīsat ar-Rūm al-Malakiyyīn al-Kāṯūlīk''; ; ), also known as the Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catho ...

convent located in Kashkul Jaraman, 8 km east of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. The convent contains a church, health center, dormitory, computer lab, and child care facility.(NGB).

History

The convent was initiated by Al Assaf family in the 1990s. With the support of the patriarchate in Damascus and many Christian families the convent was extended and started offering various services free of charge. After the war in Iraq in 2003, and under the leadership of Soeur Malake Arbach, the convent served a big number Iraqi refugees. The center offered free meals and health care for thousands of people

Health Center

The Charity Health Center of the convent is a medical center with eight clinics of various specializations and a pharmacy. The center offer health care and medications free of charge for the general public regardless of religion, ethnicity, or nationality. Sixty-two doctors volunteer to rotate on the clinics of the Health Center. It received support from

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

and other organizations. With their support the center was able to acquire modern medical equipment which are not available in the poor suburb of Damascus.

Dormitory

The dormitory contains 50 rooms. It is designated for students and convent visitors.

Kinder care

The kinder care is child care facility consisting of five class rooms, three shared rooms, and three administrative rooms. The facility has a capacity of 80 aged between three and seven years of age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Convent of Ibrahim Al Khalil, The Melkite Greek Catholic Church in Syria 1990 establishments in Syria Convents of the Catholic Church in Asia Religious buildings and structures in Syria