You know the bad news. You hear it every day — shootings, Syria, refugees, ISIS, and so many other violent conflicts. It is heartbreaking.
But, we know that cooperation is vastly more common than violence – even where we work, some of the most dangerous and volatile places on earth. We know how to create peace – practical, lasting peace where people work together to get what they need.
So, here’s some good news: You can make the difference in the life of a refugee child.
And then I have a challenge for you: Make a difference in your own life as well.
10-year old Kinda, a bright Syrian girl with so much potential, had to quit school when her family fled to Lebanon to escape the war.
In Lebanon, the government opened public schools to Syrian children. But language barriers, overcrowding, and the cost of transportation keep many refugee kids out. Our Lebanon Director, Elisa Dari says, “It can become very difficult for the Syrian children to enter a Lebanese school, so there is often a separation between the two. But outside of school, there is little opportunity for Syrian and Lebanese children to play together, to be children together.”
We’re providing education and recreational activities to Syrian and Lebanese kids aged 6-11 — together. We help meet the education gap for refugee children and build friendships across divides. Kinda is one lucky girl who got the chance to join our English language program. Her teacher explains, “At first, the Lebanese students refused to sit next to the Syrians. The stories we used in class helped the students begin to accept their diversity. Now they ask to sit next to each other.”
“All the participants in this class are my friends, and I love them so much,” Kinda beams.
Many Syrian refugee children haven’t been as lucky as Kinda. They want to learn, but they can’t get into school. You can give them the chance. $45 provides one month of education for one child.
17-year old Hanin was traumatized and afraid when her family first escaped into Lebanon. She didn’t leave her house for three months.
We bring Syrian and Lebanese teens together to write plays, create music, make videos, or craft comic books. Then, they share the art with their communities, bringing their parents together as well. Lebanese friends made all the difference for Hanin: “I love the guys who helped me step out of my house. I thank them a lot.”
Elisa, our Lebanon Director, says their art focuses on “breaking down stereotypes, learning how to deal with conflict in a constructive manner, and dealing with the tensions, coping with the very difficult environment in which these children live.”
“We have many conflicts between each other,” explains one of the teens. “But all these conflicts, we put them aside, we love each other, we removed the hatred between us.”
Eventually, Elisa shows, the teens are able to “deal with the tensions in a constructive and collaborative manner, rather than with hatred and stereotypes.”
In their formative years, when teens may channel their fear and anger into future violence, you can make the difference. Empower teens like Hanin to become positive leaders in their community.
1 in 5 people in Lebanon today is a Syrian refugee. That would be like the U.S. accepting 80 million refugees! It causes a huge strain on basic resources like food, water, shelter, and schools. That creates conflict – sometimes violent – between refugees and their Lebanese neighbors.
But parents, watching their children learning and playing together, remember their common humanity — the reason Lebanon opened its arms to fleeing, fearful Syrians in the first place. They’re all parents. They all want what’s best for their families. We help them have honest conversations about their conflicts and how to solve them. Together, they’re decreasing tensions and trying to meet everyone’s needs.
Ahmad, a Syrian refugee father, confides, “There was a fear barrier between the two sides that we broke through.”
Mona, a Lebanese mother, agrees, “The project definitely broke down some barriers. At the end of the day, we are all people. If we can’t accept the other, how will the other accept us?”
Even when fear, hate, and violence seem unstoppable, we know they’re not. We know that love is just as fierce, and even more courageous. You can support a bright future for Syrian refugee families.
Together, we empower refugees fleeing Syria to find dignity in their new homes. But we’re also working to stop the war.
With vetted community leaders still in Syria, we work across religious, sectarian, and class divides to bring violence to an end. We train these local leaders with the skills they need to organize their communities for peace. We also bring them together to problem-solve on how to stop violent extremism.
“The Search workshop was the most important training I have taken,” exclaims a local Syrian leader. “In my daily life, when I take a decision, when I interact with people, when I try to implement an initiative, I remember what I have learned.”
$40 trains one local Syrian leader for one day to build peace.
Internationally, we’re working at the very top levels. Behind the scenes, we bring key players in the conflict together to identify shared goals. We’re helping them work together to solve the crisis and stop the worst humanitarian disaster in the world today.
We need your help to stop violence wherever it happens, around the world. We need to raise $83,795.56 by December 31st to keep building peace. Give now.
Your financial partnership makes a world of difference. But your partnership in peace must go beyond that – to your own everyday life. It’s critical! In everything we do – engaging Syrian and Lebanese children, their parents, even top political leaders – there’s one common element that transforms the situation. When people come together across differences to work, learn, or play together, things change for the better.
So here’s your challenge: Are you working and playing across lines of race, gender, politics, religion, and age?
It can feel uncomfortable. Differences can cause confusion, awkward moments, and even tension. But when we keep at it, we find the humanity in others.
Give today to bring Syrian and Lebanese children together. Enable them to grow up believing in cooperation and tolerance. Give to bring individuals across violent and terrifying divides face to face. Empower them to see their common humanity and put down their weapons.
Then look for ways to get to know people who are quite different than you. Learn from them. Create better solutions to the issues dividing your community because you’re working together.
Together, we will create real and lasting peace.