Marqa is a deep poverty pocket outside of Amman, Jordan. Extremely cheap rent has attracted a large number of refugees, widows and others with physical and mental disabilities.

This month, through your generous support and with the help of our partners at HRJ, The Syria Fund provided food packages, milk, medical supplies and other critical aid to 30 families that will sustain them for the next three months.

Here are some of their stories: 

This is Nissar from Syria. After his brother was killed in the war, he fled with his own wife and children and his brother's wife and children to Jordan. He is responsible for providing for both families - nine people in total. He tries to work but it is difficult for Syrian refugees to find reliable work. 

Umm Alleh's husband suffers from mental health issues and war trauma. Sometimes her husband disappears for days at a time. He has been found wandering the streets or sleeping outside. She tries to provide income for their family of four children by selling Syrian dishes at the market, but this is simply not enough. Food boxes supplied by The Syria Fund will alleviate a lot of the stress she carries. 

Umm Ismail's husband was killed in the war in Syria. Her daughter’s husband was also killed in Syria. Today, they live with twelve people in one house, including her children and her daughter’s children. It is extremely difficult for them to provide enough food and income for all of them to live. 

For $40, you can provide a month of food packages for a family in need. Please consider making a donation and helping us continue to provide for these struggling families.

TSF team member Nora Barre talks about her experience with #SongsForSyrians:

Witnessing the Syrian crisis and suffering from the other side of the world was unbearable. Too many times, I watched my screen in disbelief as their homes, neighborhoods, and cities were targeted by bombs. My arms were stretched out wishing to hold and shelter them as I watched their families face death, but all I could do was cry. When the Syrian children told me where and when they escaped from, I pieced together the events they must've endured.

Nora outside the Azraq school with students

Being there with them was often more healing for me, than for them. Our team was humbled by their unconditional love and trust. Every day we were greeted at the door with hugs and smiles that brightened our world. Their tenacity and determination to persevere and grow was mesmerizing. They taught me courage and strength, even while feeling afraid. In a world where being Syrian holds negative connotations, Songs for Syrians planted seeds of hope for a better future and a reminder of their beautiful heritage. No one could experience what we did and leave unchanged . How dare I not be hopeful, when they glare at their own despair with a fierce and hopeful eye?

Montessori educator and The syria fund volunteer Matilda Giampietro reflects on her experience teaching music with #SongsForSyrians in Jordan:

The desert is starkly beautiful, vast and wild. In the day the sun is inescapable, powerful, burning  hot and dry. Someone said it is like a hair dryer blowing on your skin. Yet at night the desert is completely alluring, with vast starry skies and a delicious clean wind you can lean into. We have become a company of friends, comfortable with each other in simple and challenging situations. These friends are from Jordan, America, Iraq, Spain and India. They are brave, intelligent, funny and full of life. They are kind. They are interesting to talk to and enjoyable to be with. That is because they are interested in the world and determined to make it a better place. Each of them brings different abilities, viewpoints and strengths to the work we are doing.  

I feel so glad to be part of this company of friends!  All through the process of learning about The Syria Fund and the Songs For Syrians project I have had the feeling I am in the right place at the right time. And all the people on this team are too.  

I am really grateful for the opportunity to use my talents in music, dance and teaching to make a difference in this part of the world. I love these Syrian children and their families. They are such beautiful people, so hurt, so badly treated, yet determined to live a better life. They are part of an ancient and sophisticated culture that the rest of the world really needs. They dance with such passion and joy!  Learning about their musical culture, and sharing traditions from mine is a gift I will never forget.

This past October, The Syria Fund worked with our local partners to build tented classrooms for Syrian children living in a very rural area of Northeast Jordan with NO access to schools. Today they are reading, writing and getting an education and we couldn't be happier.

Dear Supporters,

We’re back from a very productive trip in Jordan and there’s so much to share!  Read on to learn more about our week-long music workshop and the new school we are supporting that will allow nearly 150 students to return to school.

 

The #SongsForSyrians Program

The Songs for Syrians pilot program was an overwhelming success!  From June 26-30, our team of volunteers brought a comprehensive music education program to our partner school in Azraq, Jordan.  Because the school was on summer break, our talented music instructors Nina and Matilda took over the entire day, working with the students in small groups.

Nina taught recorder to the older students.  They learned how to hold the instrument, read rhythms and musical notation, and play basic melodies.

Matilda worked with children of all ages, introducing them to the Montessori teaching method, which includes singing, listening, dancing, and rhythmic notation.  She taught Western and Syrian rhythms and even had the kids square dancing!

We concluded the program with a concert celebration where the children performed the music they learned throughout the week for their families. It was a joyful occasion and a reminder of the power of music to bring people together even in the face of war and dislocation.

But the most important work is yet to come.  In close collaboration with our two instructors, a local volunteer, Jorge Ortiz, is continuing weekly music classes and hosting an after-school recorder club!  The goal is to infuse music into the culture of the school so students and teachers can benefit from the universal skills that music can teach.  As the program develops, we will look to expand it into other schools for Syrian children. 

Look out for a larger video recap of the Songs For Syrians trip coming soon!

Expanding Education Programs with the White Hands Association

We’re excited to announce that a new education space is opening this week! With our partners at the White Hands Association (WHA), we’ve helped to purchase and renovate a new building that will host, at capacity, nearly 300 students! Classes will begin this week, with over 90 new students registered! In this remote area of Northeast Jordan, refugee families live in deep poverty and children have no access to public education. We’ve already supported WHA to build 3 tent classrooms and 3 portable classrooms that today host nearly 200 students yet there are still hundreds out of school. This new building will bring us one step closer to getting every child back in school where they belong!

What You Can Do

Make a donation! These programs can't run themselves! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation today to support our expanding education programs for Syrian children! A little bit goes a HUGE way and as you can see we are able to make a tremendous impact for these children and their families. 

Host a fundraiser! There are so many fun and simple ways to get your communities involved through a fundraiser! Consider hosting an outdoor lemonade stand, supporting The Syria Fund in an upcoming Marathon or race or inviting your friends over for "Cocktails for a Cause"!  We recommend Crowdrise as a great platform to accept donations. 

Like us on Facebook and share our story on social media! Let your networks know about the great work you have helped us accomplish. 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support!

Best,
Lexi, Demetri and The Syria Fund team

Jonathan Skaggs, 17, spent a few days volunteering with The Syria Fund's partners in Jordan. Here, he writes about his experience: 

"Traveling to Jordan was an exciting experience for me. It was fun to visit the sites, but being able to make a difference with Syrian refugees was a whole new experience.

Sorting clothing with HRJ

Through The Syria Fund, my father and I spent time volunteering with refugee service agencies HRJ and the South Azraq Women's Association. We spent a day sorting donated clothes, shoes and toys from the local community in Amman. I was one of several international volunteers with a desire to make a difference in the lives of the Syrian refugees. Sorting clothes may not seem like much, but it still felt like I was making a difference in the lives of Syrian refugees. It was amazing to work side-by-side with volunteers from Jordan, Syria, Germany, The Netherlands, Brazil, Spain, England, Australia and the USA.

A few days later we all drove to Al-Azraq where we spent a day painting one of the refugee classrooms. We arrived as the students were on break from class. They ran around excitedly wanting play with us newcomers. Though we were strangers, we became quick friends. A few of the volunteers give time each week to teach an English class. The children liked to come out and practice speaking English to the rest of the volunteers. The children always had a smile on their face.

Painting a classroom with an underwater scene in Azraq

Overall, I had an amazing time serving the Syrian refugees in Jordan. It was a wonderful experience to paint the school, sort clothes and interact with both the refugees and the other volunteers from around the world. Thanks to The Syria Fund for making this opportunity possible."

THE FINISHED PRODUCT:

Dear Supporters,

Happy June! We're excited to share with you what's been going on at The Syria Fund!

UPDATE ON SONGS FOR SYRIANS

We are off to Jordan in less than a month.  During the last week of June, we’ll be hosting Songs For Syrians, a music workshop for 105 students and their teachers at our partner school in Azraq, Jordan. The students in our program will learn to play the recorder along with basic music theory and dance.  We are especially excited to host a concert and celebration at the end of the workshop to let these great kids show off everything they’ve learned. 

Click here to learn more about Songs for Syrians.

With an emphasis on teacher training, we plan to set up a program that can grow and thrive for years to come in Azraq and at our other partner schools across Northern Jordan! 

But our program isn’t just in Jordan.  We are thrilled to have two school groups in Connecticut and New York participate in the program by learning and performing Syrian music at their schools!

The Syria Fund is currently raising money to purchase musical instruments, hire and train music teachers and expand this valuable arts program. 

life skills trainings

Last month, The Syria Fund partnered with MECI to host Life Skills Trainings for 200 Syrian and Jordanian teenage girls. The trainings were designed to encourage the development of leadership, community engagement and teamwork skills. 

Trainees took initiative by identifying issues affecting their communities and creating their own strategies to respond. This ranged from discussion groups to improve social cohesion and communication between Syrian refugees and local Jordanians to helping clean up their communities and bring art to public spaces. Pre and post-assessments measured the impact the course had on the trainees. We are pleased to say that 96% of these young women demonstrated an improvement in their life skills! We will continue to work with MECI to host more programs like this in the coming months. 

“I really feel that since the training my Jordanian peers are more aware of the fact that we should help each other out because we have gone through trauma and so many difficulties since the crisis started in Syria. We only fled to look for peace and security. I want to say to the youth in Jordan, whether Syrian or Jordanian: Grab chances and enjoy every moment, Peace is a blessing.
”

— Safa, 16, Syrian

EXPANDING EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Over the past 9 months, we’ve worked closely with HRJ and WHA to set up education spaces that today host over 200 children, most of them Syrian refugees, in three tented schools and three portable classrooms in East Badia, Jordan. 

To build on the success of these six classrooms, we are now looking to expand even further to reach the hundreds of Syrian children who remain out of school in this desolate area of Northern Jordan. Our partners have identified a large house that, with the support of The Syria Fund, they will look to renovate and turn into a school that can host up to 150 children. We’ll have more information on this in the coming weeks!

updates from the border

In January, we emailed you a request for contributions to support humanitarian relief efforts for thousands of families trapped on the border between Syria and Jordan.  
As the fighting continues in Syria, more families flee to this makeshift camp on the border. Today there are nearly 60,000 individuals who are living in critical, at-risk conditions. Working with HRJ and WHA, we continue to respond to this serious humanitarian crisis by providing hundreds of food packages, hygiene items and other critical aid every month.

how you can help

Your continued support is more crucial than ever to ensure refugees have the help they need to get their lives back on track. Here are three simple ways to get - and stay - involved today. 

1. Follow the latest updates on The Syria Fund's response to the refugee crisis
2. Share Your Voice. Tell your friends and family (and us!) why you care about helping Syrian refugees and tag us @thesyriafund.
3. Donate today. You'll help us expand education programs and get more children back in school, distribute desperately-needed supplies and help families heal from the trauma of this crisis.

Supporter Beryl shares her voice at a TSF fundraiser in Westport, CT

Thank you for your continued support and for all that you do!

Best,
Lexi, Demetri and The Syria Fund Team 

"I have been teaching here at the Azraq Community School for two years and before this, I taught for 15 years in Idlib, Syria.  I love working with children.

I used to teach the primary grades in Syria. Here I teach Grade 1.

When I first came to Azraq, the school was still just starting. I taught Syrian children of all ages. I had 35 children in grades 1, 2, and 3. I taught from 8am -12pm for one group of students and then the second group was from 12pm-4pm. Then we were able to open up another classroom. We divided the classes and got more teachers, but for 2 months I was the only teacher.

I now have 30 students in the classroom and no helper. I am capable of doing without though. I used to have 30-35 students in Idlib.

I am in need of resources, large images, posters, things to put on the board. I need books -  these are essential. They are the basics that any school needs. I want clean books with colors, not copies. It’s depressing that way. The students will react better with colorful images.

We need English teachers. We do teach them. But it’s different when a specialist English teacher comes in- they will benefit from that. I can and do teach every other subject on its own. I am even doing physical education with them.

The English classes are essential to happen on a regular basis and more than once a week and for all the classes.

There are intelligent students in my class - but Syrian children face a lot of difficulties.

I have four children, two girls and two boys. My husband is at home with my 5 year old. I have a lot of pressure in my life. My husband is unemployed. I am working at home and at work. I am tired.

Mostly, I dream of going back to Syria."

Ilham, Teacher at the Azraq Community School

"I want to help the refugee children receive an education because I feel that all children deserve the opportunity to flourish and reach their potential.  My education has shaped me into the person I am today.  With ancestral ties to Syria, my heart breaks for the people living through years of war and uncertainty.   I am particularly saddened for the innocent children. It must be terrifying to be displaced from your home with no clear sense of where to go next.  My family and I intend to help families and children in need throughout this time of instability, and are proud to support all of the initiatives of the Syria Fund."

Molly, 17, Volunteer
 

Happy Spring! 2016 is off to a great start and we are excited to share with you some updates.

Songs for Syrians

We are proud to announce an exciting new program that The Syria Fund will be bringing to our partner school in Azraq, Jordan this June.  In partnership with S'Cool Sounds, a music non-profit based in New York City, The Syria Fund will host an in-depth five-day music and dance workshop for 100 Syrian children aged 8-15.  Music director and concert musician Nina Stern and Montessori music educator Matilda Giampietro, PhD, will share their innovative approach to the group study of instrumental music and dance with the students and teachers at SAWA using recorders and local percussion. The workshop will culminate in a concert for the wider community featuring our students, teachers, and local musicians who will perform both traditional Syrian songs and ones we bring from the U.S.  We are excited to incorporate students around the United States into this program by teaching Syrian melodies and connecting students with Syrian kids in Azraq for a cultural exchange through the language of music! Stay tuned for more information on this program as it develops! 

Future musicians at school in Azraq!

Expanding Our Education Programs

In 2015, The Syria Fund partnered with the White Hands Association in East Badia, Jordan to create three tent classrooms for Syrian refugee children living in rural areas who had no access to education.  The classes have been extremely successful and we are thrilled to work with WHA to expand the program!

A recent survey of Syrian families living within walking distance of the WHA office found over 500 children ages 6-18 who are not attending any form of school. To address this massive need and build off our previous successes with the tent classrooms in East Badia and our partner school in Azraq, we are helping our partner organization WHA open three new caravan classrooms. These new spaces will accommodate up to 90 students. TSF is purchasing one of the new classrooms, paying the salary for a full-time teacher, and providing 60 students with all of the materials they need to get learning again! The new classrooms will also benefit others in the community by offering vocational training, sewing classes, and other programs for people of all ages. Your support has made this possible!  

Warm Welcome To The #CantDoNothing Community

Finally, we want to say a warm welcome to all those who donated to The Syria Fund and joined our mailing list after learning about us through #CantDoNothing, the initiative of actress Milana Vayntraub.  Milana, who is a refugee herself, was moved to act after going on vacation in Greece and realizing that as a global citizen, she couldn't stand by and do nothing while refugees risked their lives crossing to Greece in search of a better lives in Europe.  Her moving documentary about her time on Lesvos Island in Greece has moved tens of thousands to join the movement and get involved, because we #cantdonothing. The amazing support from the CDN community has enabled The Syria Fund to expand our education programs into 2017, continue our eyeglasses program to purchase prescription lenses for hundreds of Syrian kids, and extend our border relief program to provide food and necessary supplies to refugees trapped on the Syrian-Jordanian border.  

Thank you as always for your continued support - we couldn't do it without you!

Like us on Facebook to stay updated on all of our projects!

Best,
Lexi, Demetri and The Syria Fund team