FAID was founded in 1957 in Beirut just beside the highway to Damascus. Over the years it has been bombed and shot at but still it continues to deliver education to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, usually from deprived backgrounds, regardless of their religion or ethnic origin.  Students are taught to speak and lipread as well as receiving all the academic and life skills that they need to survive in a country that is not very  kind to people with a disability.

Since the war started in Syria, the school has also been enrolling refugee children and running outreach programmes in nearby refugee camps. It is estimated that there are currently 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. The World Health Organisation states that 5-8% of this population are hearing-impaired children. Recognising a real need, FAID conduct a programme amongst these refugee families. Left unsupported, parents can feel ill-equipped to help their children thrive in a world that may not be designed for them.

WDR is pleased to be involved in the empowerment of these young people. 

A member of the WDR Committee regularly visits the Institute in Lebanon.