Dear Supporters,
 
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Sitting around the table with family and friends last week, we were particularly grateful for the amazing support you've provided this year to help thousands of refugee families in need. As the situation for Syrians worsens by the day, we continue our important work to respond to the needs that so many are facing -- and we couldn't do it without each and every one of you. 

Last month, we put out a call to help The Syria Fund bring critically-needed food supplies to thousands of families trapped in a makeshift camp on the Syria-Jordan border.  This area is called the Berm, after the raised barrier of sand in no man’s land between the two countries. The estimated 75,000 people living there today have been almost entirely cut off from humanitarian aid since a security incident at the end of June.
 
When we called, you answered. In 48 hours, and with the generous support of actress Kristen Bell, we raised $17,000 to purchase food to distribute directly to these families in need! We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support - thank you to everyone who donated, shared our posts, and forwarded our email.

With this incredible effort, we purchased and assembled over 800 food packages.  In mid-November, our partner organizations distributed those packages to approximately 4,800 refugees trapped at the Berm. Each package, valued at $21 USD, included the below items and was designed to last a family of six for 2+ weeks:

• 5kg rice
• 2kg sugar
• 800 gr powdered milk
• 1 box tea bags (tea is a very important part of Syrian culture)
• 1.8 ltr cooking oil
• 4 tins of beans
• 3 packets of spaghetti
• 3 packets of macaroni noodles
• 1 bag of lentils
• 1 pack cooking stock cubes
• 4 packets of tomato puree

This is just one example of the tremendous impact you've made this year. All of you have come together to donate what you can and spread the message that our community cares about the people of Syria and, with so many in dire circumstances, we #cantdonothing. THANK YOU!

Later this month, we'll be sending out our 2016 Annual Report -- stay tuned for a detailed breakdown of our projects and finances to see what we've accomplished through The Syria Fund this year and where we're heading in 2017!
 
With continued gratitude,
Lexi, Demetri and The Syria Fund team

Dear Supporters,

This past June, The Syria Fund launched our first music program Songs for Syrians. Since we started, we've been committed to continuing the program and expanding it to reach other Syrian children who can benefit from the experience of learning a musical instrument and interacting with their peers through music. 

As Nina Stern, concert musician and co-producer of Songs for Syrians said,

"It was a powerful and uplifting experience, spending a week in Azraq with The Syria Fund and our music team - at times joyous, at times sad, at times frustrating, but always inspirational. In our S'Cool Sounds programs we aim to teach many things through music - focus and discipline, team work and compassion, communication and respect - but primarily we seek to bring joy to children, their teachers, and families. We had many joyful moments, which were made all the more precious by the knowledge that these children and their families have endured such suffering."

This week, our Songs for Syrians program in Azraq held their first concert AND we formally launched the program at three new schools for Syrian refugees in Salt, Jordan through our partners at MECI. 

Led by our extremely talented and dedicated music teacher Owais, we are continuing to bring music to our students and in doing so, encouraging their self expression and personal growth for years to come!

None of this would be possible without YOUR support! You are making a HUGE difference getting these kids back on track, in the classroom, and using positive outlets to express themselves after all they have been through. THANK YOU! 

If this program inspires you, like it does us, share it with your friends and consider making another donation to support Songs for Syrians today!

With love and gratitude,
The Syria Fund team
 

Dear Supporters,

We are in urgent need of your help.

As many of you know, The Syria Fund has been providing critically-needed food and hygiene aid to the vulnerable population of Syrian refugees stranded in a remote desert area on the Syria-Jordan border.

These refugees -- who now number close to 75,000 -- have been almost entirely without humanitarian assistance since the end of June when a security breach led to Jordan sealing the border. 

A make-shift graveyard on the Syria-Jordan border [source: Amnesty International]

Food is scarce and disease is spreading. Aid organizations have not been able to reach the camp to properly document the awful conditions.  But recent satellite images show makeshift grave sites.  Aid workers believe the deaths are due to hunger, hepatitis and other infectious diseases, and women forced to give birth without medical care. 

We've just gotten word that our partners on the ground have finally received permission from the Jordanian authorities to deliver food aid this week.  We are asking for your support to ensure that they can purchase and deliver as much food as they can bring.

We urgently need your help to make this possible.

A generous donor has agreed to match all donations up to $5,000, so your gift will have twice the impact!

As always, your donations will go directly towards purchasing and delivering items into the hands of families in need.

Please help us by spreading the word to your families and friends. This is an opportunity to make an immediate, life-saving impact for people who desperately need our support.

Examples of food items and pricing:

5 kg bag of rice: $4.25
5 kg bag of sugar $4.00
Box of tea bags: $1.75
Can of beans $0.35 each
1.8 liters of cooking oil $2.85
800 gram bag of powdered milk $4.25

Thank you for your generosity and continued support. Together, we are making a tremendous difference and we are so grateful to each and every one of you for making it possible.

Warmly,
Lexi, Demetri & The Syria Fund team

To learn more about this difficult situation, you can check out the below links:
CNN: Syria's 'ghost refugees' struggle for survival in no man's land
Al Jazeera International: Amnesty: 75,000 refugees trapped on Syria-Jordan border
New York Times: Save The Refugees On The Berm

#CantDoNothing founder Milana Vayntrub joined The Syria Fund as part of #SongsForSyrians, a music and arts workshop for Syrian refugee children in Azraq, Jordan. Here, Milana shares her experience: 

The Syria Fund is an inspiring organization that provides education to kids that may be left without it otherwise. I think most people assume that refugee children attend school in the camps, which is mostly true, however 80% of refugees in Jordan don't live in the camps. 

Traveling to Azraq, Jordan with The Syria Fund to meet the kids and see the classrooms they've established was incredible. I hope the people that donated know how valuable their contributions have been and the impact they've made in Azraq and in other high-poverty areas in Northern Jordan.

I'm so happy I got to be a part of the #SongsforSyrians program and teach art to the kids, while two amazingly talented teachers taught them music. The music lit the kids up. They loved it!

My favorite part was TSF Founder Lexi's wonderful talk with the girls about how important it is that they continue studying even if it gets hard. She said it's especially important for girls. They seemed to hear her loud and clear. Now we just have to make sure there's a thriving school for them to attend. 

On our last night in Azraq, we had a big party. The kids sang, performed new songs they learned on the recorder, we hung up everyone's art projects, and invited their families to participate. The kids danced, played, giggled and had more fun than they've probably had in a while. By providing them with education, we are offering them a future with an opportunity to make a better life. 

Help us expand our #SongsForSyrians music and arts program by making a tax-deductible donation today!

Join the #CantDoNothing movement! Share your voice and let us know why you #cantdonothing

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: