H.E. Dr. Aleksandra Bukowska-McCabe, Ambassador of Poland to Lebanon, paid a working visit to the Order of Malta Lebanon’s Community Healthcare Centre in Kefraya (West Bekaa). The purpose of the visit was to witness the implementation of the food aid project for host communities, internally displaced persons and refugees that the Order of Malta launched last September with the support of Polish Aid, the Polish development cooperation program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.

The project, managed by the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta in partnership with its Polish sister organisation Maltańska Służba Medyczna (MSM), seeks to alleviate rising food insecurity among families and to strengthen community resilience in the context of Lebanon’s prolonged economic and humanitarian crisis. It provides food assistance to more than 15,000 people, offers nutritional awareness sessions to promote healthy and practical choices, and supports the local market by sourcing food items from local producers.

Ambassador Bukowska-McCabe was accompanied by Mrs Lelia El Khazen Mallat, Managing Director of Order of Malta Lebanon and Mr Rafał Kander, MSM Project Coordinator. During her visit, the Ambassador toured the centre’s various departments and learned about the mechanisms for beneficiary registration, food parcel preparation, and distribution carried out in coordination with ministries, municipalities, and the members, employees and volunteers of the Order of Malta Lebanon. She also met with the medical, nursing, and social teams operating at the centre, gaining insight into the challenges faced by local communities and beneficiaries, as well as the efforts deployed to ensure that assistance reaches the most vulnerable with transparency and fairness. The delegation then headed to the Order of Malta nearby Agro-Humanitarian Centre. Following her visit, H.E. Dr. Aleksandra Bukowska-McCabe expressed her appreciation for the activities of the Order of Malta in Lebanon and her satisfaction with the bilateral cooperation.

In addition to this visit, a delegation from Polish Aid and the Polish Association of the Order of Malta previously conducted field visits to the Order’s Lebanese centre in Ain El-Remmaneh to monitor the project’s progress. They also held working meetings with the Order of Malta’s team in Lebanon and the Polish Embassy in Beirut.

The Order of Malta in Lebanon runs more than 60 projects nationwide, including healthcare centres, mobile medical units, and agro-humanitarian programs. Working with local organisations and institutions, it provides assistance to communities of all faiths. Cooperation among different religious and national groups enables humanitarian aid to be closely linked with public diplomacy. This was especially visible during Pope Leo XIV’s recent visit to Lebanon, when he toured facilities supported by multiple humanitarian organisations, highlighting the essential role of religious communities and international institutions in helping those most in need.