A Summer Day in Lebanon: Language, Culture & Connection in Action

This summer, Alefb had the joy of partnering with Ounss Organization for our annual summer event in Lebanon. Ounss generously welcomed Alefb students from abroad to join their summer camp in Sin El Fil for a day filled with friendship, play, music, and—most importantly—Arabic.

A Day Full of Lebanese Summer Memories

We danced together, sang Lebanese rhymes, played soccer and basketball, and shared a typical Lebanese breakfast: Manouche and Bonjus .. Ananas!
We learned about the ladybug Bil Arabi: we challenge you to send us the name of this insect Bil Arabi! If you give up, go to our Youtube channel and listen to Coach Jamal from Ounss Summer camp, here.

We played traditional Lebanese games with real pros, we went riding on swings and climbing on the playground structures, and even learned how to whistle like an expert Lebanese kid!

And everywhere we went, there was an opportunity to practice Arabic.

For our Alefb students, it was a chance to take the language they had been learning throughout the year with their tutors and use it in a real-life environment, with real people, in Lebanon.

We also had the wonderful opportunity to meet many of our students and their parents in person. After spending so much time together virtually, seeing our Alefb families face-to-face in such a relaxed and joyful setting made the day particularly special.

Of course, there was ice cream in all shapes and colors!

From the Bus to the Playground: Learning Through Experience

The adventure continued on the bus, where we sang songs from the Lebanese popular repertoire together. For many of us adults, those songs brought back memories of our own childhoods—the sounds, words, games, and traditions that remain so deeply connected to Lebanon.

And that is exactly what we hope to preserve through Alefb: not just the Arabic language, but the memories, emotions, connections, and cultural experiences that give the language meaning.

This summer day brought our mission full circle. Our students weren’t simply practicing vocabulary or grammar. They were living the language.

Supporting Children in Lebanon

We are grateful to Ounss for welcoming our students and creating such a wonderful experience.

If you would like to support Lebanese children, we encourage you to learn more about Ounss. Their work continues throughout the year, supporting underprivileged communities and helping children build brighter futures.

Bringing Sawa4Good Back to Life

We left the day with another exciting idea: reviving Alefb’s Sawa4Good program.

Our vision is to connect children from the diaspora with children in Lebanon through a free, safe correspondence program, giving them the opportunity to meet, exchange, and build friendships across borders.

For our learners abroad, this would create something incredibly valuable: a real reason to use the Arabic they are learning.

Instead of practicing only with a tutor, they could write to, speak with, and learn from a real child in Lebanon. Their Arabic would have a real audience, a real purpose, and a real human connection.

We hope to make Sawa4Good available to as many Alefb learners as possible and create meaningful connections between children who may live thousands of miles apart, but share a language, a culture, or simply a curiosity about one another.

Learn more about Sawa4Good, here.

Come Be Part of the Alefb Family

Days like this remind us why we do what we do.

Arabic is more than a subject to study. It is a way to connect—with family, with heritage, with culture, and with people.

We hope to see many more Alefb students joining us in Lebanon next summer. Until then, keep learning, keep speaking, keep connecting, and keep your Arabic alive!

Yalla See you all next year in 🇱🇧❤️