We are going to start posting a photo a day as a reminder of what is happening in Syria and the people it impacts each and every day.
Here is the first:
A great story of how Hip-Hop and art are being used to promote understanding and peace in Tripoli. Check it out!
Here are a few photos of the Media and Communications Workshop we recently did with the Syrian NGO Mobaderoon. A great workshop and experience with some wonderful people!
We look forward to continuing to partner with them.
How do you help when there is so much need and suffering?
How do you help without taking advantage of the suffering?
How do you find and support effective programs?
These are questions I've been struggling with while here in Lebanon. There is so much need here and many different organizations and individuals working with the refugees. It can be very overwhelming...but nothing I have experienced and struggled with compares to what many of the Syrian people are struggling with and experiencing.
I don't have any easy answers, but we should all try and do our part to help others...whatever that may look like.
We will continue to find and partner with organizations and individuals working on the ground with the Syrian people. We will continue to support and train these organizations so that they can join us in telling the Syrian story. We will continue to publish stories and do our small part to tell the Syrian story.
You can help. Join the movement, spread the word, and ask us how you can get involved.
Here is a little touch of happiness to inspire:
While working with the staff and kids of Rescue Me in Beirut yesterday, they decided to get creative. This is what peace looks like when Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese kids come together.
Please share and spread the word!
I've met a Syrian doctor trying to find work in Lebanon. He is concerned that if he returns to Syria he will be forced to serve in the military. A kind and loving person in a difficult situation.
I've met the amazing founders of Mobaderoon and are working with them to develop their communications strategy. We will be doing a media workshop in a few weeks for some of their leadership and media people within Syria.
I've seen people on the streets of Beirut, many Syrian, with little hope. You can see the loss in their eyes.
I've met with an exciting new Lebanese NGO called Rescue Me. Their background is in working with terrorists and criminals in Lebanese jails, and are now using their expertise and passion to work with children and youth from Syria, many of whom have significant PTSD. We will be partnering with them to help tell their story and the stories of the many kids they work with in their summer camp program.
I heard a story from Rescue Me about one of the girls they are currently working with. She is 13 years old and from Syria. She witnessed the bombing of a building next to her home and saw the carnage that was left behind. She then witnessed an extremist group brutally kill many of the men in her neighborhood and place their heads around her school. She now struggles with extreme PTSD. She loves art and wants to be an engineer to help rebuild her country.
Spread the word, support the movement and stay tuned for updates and new stories from Mobaderoon, Rescue Me and others!
I doubt many of you think of basketball when you think about Syria these days. Well you should, here's another great story from the Mobaderoon network, check it out in our Stories section!
Thanks goes out to Jack Daly for editing this great story.
Check out our new Stories category for the Voices for Syria project. We will be posting a new story about the Syrian experience every few days so be sure to check back often!
“We want to replace the sounds of bombs with sounds of laughter. The sight of blood will be slowly erased from our minds, when happiness comes in. Restoring our childhood that has been stolen by this war.”
I had a great meeting with 2 wonderful Syrian women yesterday. They established the Syrian NGO called Mobaderoon several years ago and focus on community organization and development within Syria.
We will be posting stories from their community development projects on a regular basis. From organizing basketball teams to creating art from trash, stayed tuned!
Well after being detained at the Beirut airport for about 10 hours they finally let me in.
Here is the view from Hostel Beirut where I am currently staying. A wonderful NGO setup specifically for people to come and work with the Syrian refugees here in Lebanon.
I want to thank everyone that has supported this project thus far, it means a lot!
I am currently sitting in the Istanbul airport waiting for my flight to Beirut. Tired and unsure how the project will go, but ready to get there and see where things lead.
It is an odd feeling to have put so much work into the Voices project and still have no idea how it will go. I've connected with some great people already in both Lebanon and Jordan and I look forward to meeting everyone in person.
There are many questions floating through my head and some doubts...
But I also know that most things truly worth doing are challenging. And so I set off with a humble heart, hoping that I can use my skills and experience to help in whatever way I can.
However the Voices for Syria project turns out, and whatever it eventually becomes I hope this project will be used to help.
Tim
“We must become the change we want to see.”
Hi everyone, welcome to the blog for the Voices for Syria project. This will be the place to come for regular updates on how the project is going.
For starters here is what it looks like to travel with all the basic gear needed. This is from DFW airport in Dallas.
