As we count down the remaining days of 2021, we remember our blessings during yet another hard year that has crossed our journey in life. As we all know and have experienced, there have been a lot of challenges this year, to some more than last year, and to others, less. But today we focus on the good things we did and experienced here at Karam during 2021.
So join us for a year in review…
Ten Years of Revolution:
On March 15th, 2021 we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Syrian revolution in a conversation with five powerful women in the Syrian and more broadly humanitarian space. Lina Sergie Attar of Karam, Waad Al-Kateab of Action for Sama, Ghalia Rahal of the Mazaya Center, activist Wafa Mustafa, and Josie Naughton of Choose Love came together to commemorate the last ten years of fighting for freedom, and the nuance of each Syrian’s experience was brought to light.
Ramadan 2021:
Ramadan this year started in April, and so did our Ramadan Campaign, one of our biggest campaigns of the year. And even though Ramadan this year looked a lot different to many people, the generosity of our donors and supporters was just as strong. This Ramadan, we raised $153,000 which will go towards helping and uplifting refugees such Abdulrahman. Meet Abdulrahman and learn more about his favorite things in Ramadan here.
World Refugee Day:
June is World Refugee Month, and on June 20th we all come together to heal, learn, and shine. This World Refugee Day, we decided to come together *virtually* for a night of community, art, music, and support. We started the evening with a special performance from Bassel and The Supernaturals, then our MC for the evening Omar Offendum, led us through an event to remember. We heard from our board members and donors about the importance of supporting refugees, we interviewed the Al Mohammad family, who joined Karam a few years ago, and our future leaders shared what home means to them. We raised $125,000 in support of Syrian refugees. Here’s a highlight of the event.
Walk With Amal:
The path that refugees take from their destroyed homes to safety is long and harsh. To help others understand this journey, a production company by the name of Good Chance Theatre, built a 3.5 meter-tall puppet representing a nine-year old refugee girl—Amal—on her journey to find her mother whom she lost during her escape from the Syrian conflict. Her journey was set to start in Syria, but due to the heightened conflict, Amal started in Turkey instead. To send her off prepared, the leaders at Karam built a suitcase for Amal with all essentials she needs on her journey. They delivered the suitcase to her this past July in Gaziantep and waved goodbye wishing her safe travels and hoping she finds her mother.
2021 Graduation:
This year, 41 students graduated from Karam, and in September we all came together, yet again virtually, to celebrate their achievements and send them off on their next adventure. Take a look.
Back To School:
The new school year was approaching, so our Karam Families team put together Back to School Kits to help Syrian refugees families send their kids to school with all the tools needed. This campaign raised $8,000 where 249 bags were distributed to 79 different families.
Simple as Water:
In November of this year, we partnered with the director Megan Mylan and producer Robin Hessman on their new Syrian documentary Simple as Water. Our team across the country attended screenings and events in support of the film. The documentary is now available on HBO and HBOmax. And it recently made it to the Oscars’ shortlist!
End of Year:
And here we are at the end of the year, and our end-of-year campaign. During this year’s campaign we did a lot of exciting things. We took part in #GivingTuesday, and we organized Karam’s first-ever poetry event, with poets from across the world who came together to share their love and support to Syrian refugees. Layali Karam was an evening of music, poetry, and community. We also watched some of our students’ reflections on 2021 in a video.
Our end-of-year campaign is close to reaching its goal. So far, we’ve raised $133,899.You can still contribute to this campaign which will be distributed across all of our programs.
2021 wouldn’t have been possible without your constant support and love for Syrian refugees. A big thank you to all of you. And a special thank you to our CEO Lina Sergie Attar and our team for making this year possible.
This December and as you wave goodbye to 2021, continue your support to refugees with a new and unique shopping experience. Check it out here.
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. May this new year bring joy to you and your families across the world.
From all of us at Karam, thank you!
The Karam Team