Offrejoie

Offrejoie (English translation: "joy of giving") is a politically and religiously independent Lebanese non-governmental humanitarian organisation, founded in 1985 by lawyer Dr. Melhem Emile Khalaf. Founded in the values of love, respect, and forgiveness, their alleged mission being to "gather the Lebanese family creating oasis dating for young people throughout Lebanon by mobilizing around social projects promoting the unity of the Lebanese people."

Since 2012, it is also operating in Iraq on the same grounds.^[1]

History

In 1982, Mohamad Hamade, Walid Arnaout, Paul Nassar and Melhem Khalaf, four young volunteers of the Lebanese Red Cross hailing from different religious communities, assisted the wounded during the war. Horrified by what they se, they wanted to act in favour of the children suffering the violence of war and the misery it causes. Nadim Souhaid joined them.

Founded in the values of love, respect, and forgiveness, their alleged mission is as below:

Combat individualism by becoming aware of the need to live in a just and peaceful society
Give the other what they would receive
Connecting beyond his community of birth
Deciding to face the future together
Search-reciprocal esteem.
Develop social solidarity

Offrejoie was knighted with the National Order of the Cedar on 6 March 2013. It also received the Peace Prize of Lebanon in 2014 from the Ghazal Foundation and Fondation de France on 28 March 2014.