An urgent appeal to everyone who was ever part of Marjeyoun National College, and to all those who care about the continuation of its educational mission in the Marjeyoun-Hasbaya region and the existence of residents in their homes.

Dear friends and supporters of the College, its former students and graduates, all those who care about its future,

Warm greetings of love and loyalty from steadfast Marjeyoun.

The College has long been a beacon of learning and knowledge in our region, a place of education and of building future generations. Thousands of leaders graduated from its halls, leaving their mark in many fields and contributing to their communities and country. The College has never been merely a school. It has been, and remains, a cherished educational and human legacy, and a home that has brought together generations of people from the region.

Today, the College faces one of the most difficult chapters in its history. It is making an urgent appeal to you for financial assistance to overcome an unprecedented crisis that now threatens its ability to continue and could lead to its doors closing if we do not act in time.

The events that have shaken our country, and continue to do so, have cast a heavy shadow over every sector. Our region in the far south has been among the hardest hit. The war has destroyed entire towns and villages, forcing many residents to flee the area after losing their homes and livelihoods. As a result, the College has lost many of its students, and its income has fallen just as its burdens and challenges have grown.

Out of our educational and humanitarian responsibility, and in recognition of the hardship faced by families who have remained on their land despite severe conditions, the College’s Board of Trustees decided to keep tuition at the levels set for the previous school year. This was done inconsideration of families’ difficult circumstances and to avoid imposing additional costs beyond what they can bear.

However, this decision, though necessary on humanitariangrounds, combined with the sharp decline in student numbers, has placed the school in an extremely serious financial position. The projected deficit for the 2026–2027 school year is approximately three hundred thousand US

dollars ($300,000), an amount beyond the resources available and a threat to the continuation of the College’s educational work.

The economic crisis affects everyone, and we recognize the hardship facing families and institutions alike. At the same time, we cannot continue reducing teachers’ salaries. Their pay is now barely enough to cover part of the cost of living, while the prices of basic necessities have risen sharply.

For many years, the College’s teachers have carried burdens beyond their means and continued to fulfill their mission with dedication and devotion, even when their salaries did not reflect the scale of their efforts and sacrifices. Alongside the need to protect their livelihoods, they were driven by their love for the College, their commitment to its educational mission, and their belief in their students’ right to a high-quality education worthy of them and their future.

In recognition of all they have given, protecting teachers’ rights and dignity and ensuring that the College can continue its mission are not luxuries or secondary choices. They are among our highest priorities and our core responsibilities.

The College’s Board of Trustees has already reached out to many of its graduates and former students by email, contacting everyone for whom the school has an email address. The Board believes that the College’s alumni, wherever they may be, are an essential part of its ability to overcome this hardship.

Today, we appeal to everyone who once sat in the College’s classrooms, to everyone who has carried its name and taken pride in belonging to it, and to everyone who believes that the survival of educational institutions is essential to the survival and renewal of communities.

We are not asking merely for a one-time financial contribution. We invite you to help save a long-standing educational legacy and protect an institution that has played a vital role in shaping generations from our region and can continue to do so if it has the means to remain open.

For those who may not know, the College has closed its doors, since 1948, only once in its entire history: during the 1975–1976, 1976–1977,and 1977–1978 school years, as a result of the war that swept through the region at the time. We must not allow its doors to close today because of a financial shortfall, when among its graduates and friends are people with the means and ability to help save it.

We believe that the spirit the College instilled in its students over decades, and the knowledge, values, and sense of belonging it nurtured in them, must now be turned into an act of loyalty and

responsibility. At this moment, the College needs its alumni, just as they need this institution to remain alive and open to future generations.

Let us all stand by the College. Let us preserve the beacon of learning in our region and prevent a long history of service from ending because of a financial crisis, however severe.

I hope this appeal will find the response we seek in your hearts, and that your support will be a sincere expression of loyalty to the College and of your care for the future of our children and our region.

With heartfelt love and appreciation,

School Director

Nabih Youssef Lahoud Marjeyoun 20/10/2026

For contribution:

1

- Bank Audi, Hamra branch, Beirut, Lebanon

Marjeyoun National College, Board of Trustees

LB 350056 0000 0000 0001 7836 0045

AUDBLBBXXXX

2

- Board of Trustees of MNC IBAN number (LB32 0001 0710 USD15190 2430 7701) Fransabank

3

- Western Union or OMT on phone number 71430309

4

- In the premises of the school.