HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

A group of about forty Syrians started in 1981 the first « Al Masir », a hike through the syrian desert ans mountains, initiated by Father Frans Van der Lugt.

As time flew by, some participants to these hikes became worried about the problems generated by rural depopulation and emigration abroad of the youth and wanted to get involved in a project of rural ans social development of their country. In 1992 one of them, Abdul Massih Atiyeh, donated 23 hectares of ground to the latin archbischopric as a foundation for this project.

This area included about 1400 olive trees, 800 almond trees, 20.000 cypresses and 2.000 syrian vines. The work of the volunteers from « Al Masir » started with the plantation of other trees and other farming activities. In so doing the project was born.

Especially since the year 2.000, it rapidly expanded, with an increasing number of people on the payroll, with the foundation of the centre for mentally disabled persons, and with the erection of the main building which is used as encountering mall and as education centre for young mentally disabled people.