I recently returned from Beirut, Lebanon, where I participated as a trainer in a three-day international conference on “Capacity Building” for 40 Lebanese non-profit agencies. Nearly 200 people attended the seminar, representing civil society, military and security forces, religious clerks, and the Modern University for Business & Science (M.U.B.S.) Board of Trustees and staff. What an experience! As President & CEO of the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM), I was honored to provide information to the Lebanese charitable organizations on how to grow their agencies, using our work as a model.

The demand for social service agencies like DRMM has risen across the world. It’s not just here in the United States. There is an international emergency in terms of people and families in need. And the problems are the same: How can charitable agencies do more with fewer resources? How can agencies obtain funding to expand their reach in society?

The conference training sessions focused on three areas: “Social Services: Challenges & Opportunities,” “Project Proposals for Results,” and “Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs’ New Quality Standards.”  The conference garnered national attention, and I was interviewed on Lebanon’s national television network. I’d like to thank the Modern University for Business & Science (M.U.B.S.), under the patronage of His Excellency, Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Dr. Salim Sayegh for partnering with DRMM on this workshop.

Humanity is international. Charity work is important across the globe. We must all work together to increase awareness about poverty and homelessness, so that we can come up with universal solutions. All human beings are deserving of the necessities in life. It doesn’t matter where they live.