São Paulo – The Lebanese Foundation in Minas Gerais (Fuliban) wants to increase the number of healthcare services it offers to people in need at its headquarters in Belo Horizonte. The entity was created in 1970 by Lebanese community leaders and offers courses and cultural events too (pictured above). Its current president is Frederico Aburachid, elected in April. “Fuliban was created to be a Lebanese landmark in appreciation for the hospitality Minas Gerais people gave to our community. Therefore, we devote our activities to healthcare, education, and Lebanese culture promotion in Minas Gerais,” Aburachid told ANBA.
The foundation’s Lebanon House headquarters boast six outpatient care rooms. The institution once had 40 doctors catering to 6000 teenagers in a typical month in the early 2000s. Now, they care for up to 100 people per month, with the higher demand being from elders. According to Aburachid, the volume of services slid in the end of the last decade and, now, the community wants to resume its record high number of 600 appointments per month.
Services are free of charge for people in need, who usually get referred to the foundation by social workers. The physicians available specialize in cardiology, general practice and psychology. There are also plans to provide psychiatry, musical therapy and occupational therapy services. “We’re also about to reach a partnership agreement with a major laboratory in Minas Gerais to relay exam requests to them,” said Aburachid.
The foundation’s upkeep is mostly handled by Lebanese natives or descendants, but there are also Brazilian and Syrian partners. Apart from medical care, Casa do Líbano is active in knowledge and healthcare, including courses at different complexity levels, and lectures on healthcare, culture and Lebanese cuisine.
The Fuliban president said the local community must be rendered more visible. “A key point is a long-time plea from the Lebanese community for the opening of a consulate in Belo Horizonte. At this time, we don’t have a consul in the state of Minas, so getting in touch becomes really difficult. We need that, and we have leaderships in the capital and the countryside that justify having a consulate here,” he said.
According to him, the bulk of the Lebanese in the state are in Belo Horizonte and the South of the state, in cities like Lavras and Viçosa. “In Brazil there are about 12 million Lebanese natives and descendants. We are working to pull together material in order to find out the exact number in Minas Gerais,” said Aburachid regarding the project he is working on alongside organizations like the Minas Gerais History and Geography Institute, and which is expected to take shape in the second half of the year.
In order to build a closer rapport between the community in Minas Gerais and organizations in Lebanon, Fuliban is arranging for a trip to happen in 2020. “The sociocultural mission to Lebanon is slated for July 2020. The idea is to involve leaders such as the Lebanese-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, the Lebanese-Brazilian Cultural Association in Ipatinga and the Lebanese Club in Minas Gerais. We intend to arrange for a group of people to meet with Lebanese leaders,” Aburachid said.
Quick facts
Fundação Libanesa De Minas Gerais (Fuliban)
Rua Tomé de Souza, 67 Savassi
Contact: secretaria@fuliban.org.br | +55 31 3786-7706
Translated by Guilherme Miranda & Gabriel Pomerancblum
