A Chance Encounter

Edwin Miller, a corporate attorney based in Boston and the founding trustee of ACME, first visited Lebanon in 2010. After meeting local philanthropist Melek Nimer, founder of Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP), Ed had the chance to visit one of the country’s most underserved populations: the Palestinian refugees. Living in the country for generations since becoming refugees in 1948, the Palestinian refugees of Lebanon live in overcrowded refugee camps without reliable electricity, potable water, or safe building structures. Even those who do not live in the camps still have limited rights, being restricted to a small number of professions and prohibited from owning property in Lebanon. Ed’s experience inspired him to create Americans for Children of the Middle East (ACME), a U.S. charity that would permit Americans to make tax-deductible contributions and help alleviate such suffering.