São Paulo – Two Lebanese students from Saint-Esprit de Kaslik University, Samiha Al Chaar and Sandy Khalil, arrived in Brazil last week for the beginning of an exchange course at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR). According to the director of the Latin American Culture Studies at Usek, Roberto Khatlab, they take Political Sciences in the Lebanese university and should remain in Brazil for one term.
They both received grants from the UFPR. Brazilian students should travel to Lebanon. “It will be an exchange between students and professors in all areas. Lebanon is a country that benefits from educations grants from Brasil (Capes-CNPQ) and Cecal-Usek is fostering the program,” said Khatlab.
The director was in Brazil for around ten days, together with the head of the Development Department at Usek, Claude Khoury Azar, to strengthen relations between the university and the country. They met several authorities and personalities of the Lebanese community in Brazil, among them the vice president of the Republic, Michel Temer, to whom they gave a Usek medal of honour. The vice president’s family is from the village of Btaaboura, in Koura district, in Northern Lebanon.
Both Usek representatives also met state representative Ricardo Izar Júnior, who participated in the meeting with Temer, with the president of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), Paulo Skaf, and with the president of the General Worker’s Union and president of the Retail Union of São Paulo, Ricardo Patah, among other Arab leaders. From Brazil, both Usek representatives will head on to other Latin American countries.
*Translated by Mark Ament