Karam Storyteller Nour Al Ghraowi interviews photojournalist Bassam Khabieh as he talks about his book Witnesses to War, and the importance of documenting the children during the conflict in Syria. The book tells the story of the children in Ghouta through a series of images. Purchase his book Witnesses to War on the Karam store....
Change Must Happen at the Community Level
From lockdown isolation to economic strife and fear of infection, the past year has been difficult for people across the globe. No doubt you were inspired to donate and ease the burden for someone else. Think back to the causes you elected to donate to. Did you support organizations providing...
Building a Robot; a Young Scholar’s Dream Becomes Reality
As Karam Scholars, the students are given the opportunity to dream big and accomplish things they did not have the means to before. Scholars are determined to reach their goals, and in most cases, they do. Yousef Yousef, a 21-year-old scholar, took the determination and the support from those around...
Do Not Be Afraid to Take a Stance on Humanity
This year has been marked by a series of humanitarian crises and tragedies: the 10-year anniversary of the Syrian Revolution, ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, turmoil in Venezuela, famine in Yemen, and more. However, no issue seemed to grip the globe more than the recent conflict between Israel and...
I Am More Than A Refugee
“There wasn’t a time when I wasn’t a refugee,” Husam said. To many Syrian children, home is unknown. Their parents left Syria either when they were infants or still growing in their mother’s wombs. When asked “where do you belong?” they stare into nothingness, searching for an answer in all...
For The Sake of Our Mental Health
Understanding the importance of mental health is the first step towards bettering ourselves and our ways of living. Many of us have been struggling with social anxiety and isolation following the switch from in-person to a virtual work environment. To many, this transition has been beneficial in the long term,...
Iftar for One
An iftar meal set for one, your roommates had already had their dinner. Your mother on the other side of the world is getting ready to get up for Suhoor as you are close to breaking your fast. The exhaustion of fasting all day while working has worn you off....
COVID Crisis In India
It has been over a year since the COVID-19 Pandemic began, and the US and Europe are seeing cases decrease, restrictions ease, and vaccination rates on the rise. It’s clear that across the globe, many have the privilege of comfortable settling into a new normal as they inch ever closer...
Old Ramadan Traditions
Ramadan has a lot of traditions, some that are alive until this day, others have changed since the Syrian conflict. One big part of Ramadan growing up is the Mesaharati or “The dawn caller of Ramadan.” The word Mesaharati comes from Suhoor; the meal Muslims eat before dawn and before...
Ten Years of Revolution: Loss, Hope, and Action for the Future of Syria
“Every time I feel very helpless today, I hear his voice telling me that it is worth it, and all this pain and this uncertainty and this helplessness is worth it...This is not about me having a chance to live a free and just democratic Syria…Everything I do is not...
The Importance of Storytelling: Telling Your Truth
Reading may seem like an innocuous act. We do it as children pouring over rhymes and storylines, as students trudging through the latest assignment, and as adults in our morning commutes, while squinting at the fine print, or scanning ingredient lists. However, in a world where authoritarian governments routinely carry...
Refugees and Climate Change
Last week, we watched in horror along with the rest of the nation as Texas and other states were hit with a devastating winter storm. As temperatures dipped well below zero, over four million were left without power and 14 million without access to clean, running water. While power is...
Our letter to the new administration
Dear President Biden and Vice President Harris, On January 20th, you stood in front of the country — and the world — and took an oath to preserve democracy and defend the nation’s people. We’ve watched as you’ve rejoined the Paris Agreement, revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline,...
Direct sponsorship does not align with dignity.
Our commitment to deliver the highest-quality programming and return dignity to Syrian refugee communities means our programs must constantly evolve. We ask, listen, and adjust our approach to meet the true needs of these individuals, rather than make our own assumptions. In this way, they regain the decision-making power lost...
The way we tell a story matters.
The voices we uplift, the perspectives we share, the shoes we walk in; these matter. As we enter Black History Month, this lesson is more important than ever. For years, the stories of Black individuals, communities, and peoples have been controlled by those on the outside. The words of figures...














