Cooperation agreement with Kidneeds and Hôtel-Dieu de France, helping children with kidney problems

The Vice-President of the al-Walid ben Talal Foundation, former Minister Leila Solh Hamadé, signed a cooperation agreement with the Kidneeds association for children with kidney problems and the Hôtel-Dieu de France hospital, affiliated to the Saint Joseph University of Beirut. Present at the signing were Rector of the Saint Joseph University of Beirut and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hôtel-Dieu de France, Father Salim Daccache s.j., as well as association’s President, Mrs. Pauline Abou Jaoudé and the General Director of Hôtel-Dieu de France, Mr. Nasib Nasr. The event was also attended by former Minister of Justice, Mrs. Marie-Claude Najm, Maronite League President, Mr. Khalil Karam and the hospital's department heads. Mr. Nasr welcomed Mrs. Solh, underlining the importance of her political legacy and charitable work.

"We have all read the story of Riad Solh and the Rachaya fortress in our textbooks", he said, referring to Mrs. Solh's father, a key figure in the independence movement who was detained by the French in the fortress alongside other pro-independence politicians. He added: "We continue to follow in the newspapers the various actions of the al-Walid ben Talal Foundation, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary." He recalled that both Pope Benedict XVI and al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammad Sayed Tantaoui have praised the organization's work.

"Everyone knows that the al-Walid ben Talal Foundation was one of the first to help children with kidney problems in Lebanon," added Mrs. Pauline Abou Jaoudé, thanking Mrs. Leila Solh Hamadé for her trust and support. The latter then took the floor, recalling that she had already worked alongside USJ and Hôtel-Dieu de France on several occasions.

"Our cooperation is governed by our mutual commitment to human kindness, for we have no common interests, but a single message, that of mercy" she asserted. She also praised the efforts of the doctors, who "never give up, just like Lebanon, which refuses to die".