Migration is a widespread phenomenon in the Middle East, not only migration from, but also migration to the region. Migrant workers from African and Asian countries are attrackted to to Lebanon for economic reasons, as Lebanon seems to be prosperous, compared to the surrounding countries. By working in Lebanon they hope to send some money home and improve the lives of their family members.

In many a case, however, migrant workers find that life in Lebanon is not so easy as they thought it would be. Exploitation, low salaries, high living expenses, lack of access to basic facilities, lack of freedom to move around, becoming illegal: they are all threats that migrant workers face and sometimes fall prey to.

While migrant workers from Arab countries, such as Egypt and Syria often have social structures to fall back on, non-Arab migrants are left to their own devices. That is why the Philemon Project focuses on people from outside the Arab world.

Non-Arab migrant workers in Lebanon are from countries such as: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Madagascar, and the Philippines.

For refugees life is even more difficult. The Lebanese authorities have no proper procedure for asylum seekers and are not signatory to UN conventions on refugees. That is why refugees are almost by definition illegal in Lebanon. That makes it difficult for them to work, afford education, and have access to health care.

All these external perils that migrant workers and refugees face can lead in turn to isolation, depression, and despair. That is why, as a Christian Church, we feel called to minister to migrant workers and refugees in need. Our relief efforts are often patchwork. Yet our door is open to those who have no other helper.

Again, the Philemon Project is primarily there for non-Arab refugees (mostly from sub-Saharan Africa), although we acknowledge the desperate need for care among Arab refugees from Irak and Palestine.