As I worked on distilling lessons from the past decade of Karam, I thought of several significant moments and experiences from 2019 that I believed were worth sharing with you:

A year of inner growth

Of Karam’s accomplishments in 2019, our biggest strides forward were directed inwards. We strategically invested time and resources in our team’s internal growth. At our HQ and both Karam Houses, we revisited our mission statement, examined our original values, and developed our work culture to reflect these qualities (still, and probably always, a work in progress). These existential explorations stirred up emotional reactions, heated debates, and even traumatic memories sometimes as we discussed the essence of our work—serving Syrians—and our direction as the war grinds on. The result? A stronger global team and board with every member actively contributing to Karam’s DNA.

We’ve started to translate what we learned into our development and communication work (hint: new look coming soon!). We also focused on mental health and wellness trainings for our teams in Turkey and will continue to invest in wellbeing at both Karam Houses. In 2020, we plan to apply this level of deep evaluation to our programs because at Karam, we know nothing is static. We are always evolving to best serve our evolving communities.

Visiting Montgomery

In October, our US team and board of directors traveled to Montgomery, Alabama to visit The Legacy Museum and Memorial for Peace and Justice. Our retreat to the historic city was funded by a generous grant. While we prepared in advance through researching books, articles, and documentaries on slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, and mass incarceration, nothing really can prepare you to face one of the most horrific sites and actions of American history. The Museum and Memorial were created by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) led by Bryan Stevenson. The experience was equally devastating and inspiring for our team. Even as we temporarily left the context of the Syrian tragedy to absorb lessons from the past (and present), the parallels between the accounts of torture and oppression were clear and sobering. EJI’s work is a living monument on how to remember loss, how to memorialize tragedy through and beyond numbers, and how to reclaim the narrative for history, accountability, and justice. I found the most inspiring part of visiting Montgomery was witnessing the lasting and growing impact of EJI. People with a vision can make fundamental change from the most devastating circumstances. Check out Just Mercy this winter to watch Bryan’s story on the big screen. Take your families and visit Montgomery. Do it for the past and the future.

Leaving Syria

In December, we made the extremely difficult decision to halt our operations in Syria after working across the country in varying capacities since 2007. Our heroic team in Idlib worked hard until the very end, serving thousands of displaced Syrians under the bombs even as they became displaced themselves with their families. The Assad regime and its Russian allies launched an intensified attack on northern Syria over the past weeks which has resulted in the displacement of over 230,000 people who are fleeing to the closed Turkish border. Many of the families fleeing Idlib had already been displaced from other areas in Syria (including Homs, Aleppo, and Ghouta) over the past years. Trapped between bombs and borders, the fate of hundreds of thousands of people, including thousands of children, is unknown this winter. In the context of the worst humanitarian crisis of our lifetime, it’s hard to imagine that this could be the worst humanitarian disaster in Syria yet. The complicit international community has yet again forsaken Syrian civilians and their human right to be protected from the indiscriminate airstrikes. While we are devastated at not being able to work inside Syria, we will forever stand in solidarity with the Syrian people against all forms of oppression.

Word-class workshop for refugee youth

Despite the despair that consumes Syrian communities inside and outside the country, life-affirming occurrences are daily events at our Karam Houses in Reyhanli and Istanbul. Syrian refugee teens are building inspiring and innovative projects; the sponsored Karam families are enjoying community activities in our culinary lab and library; and high school seniors are attending college prep workshops. Last summer, we ran our signature Visiting Mentors program in Reyhanli and Istanbul. We have been running various forms of this program since 2013 (since Karam’s original innovative education missions) with dozens of incredible mentors from across the world volunteering one week of their time to teach Syrian refugee youth. A few of our wonderful mentors from 2019 included a (Michelin) star restaurateur, a renowned professor and author, an award-winning culinary writer, a lawyer and activist, musicians, entrepreneurs, a theater/philosophy teacher, psychologists, and journalists. They taught wide-ranging workshops in culinary skills, writing, photography, debate club, theatre, journalism, music, and leadership skills. These workshops have a lasting impression on hundreds of Syrian refugee youth who are thrilled to be exposed to creative and innovative people and skills. If you would like to join Karam’s roster of world-class visiting mentors in 2020, watch for the application early next year.

Karam Park

In November, we opened Karam Park in Reyhanli in collaboration with our local Turkish association and the Municipality of Reyhanli. This project represents the best of what is possible when a refugee community collaborates and contributes to a host community. It is possibly the first effort of its kind — a project built by the Syrian community as a gift to the Turkish town which doubled in size since 2011. The innovative park and playground, designed by a wonderful team in Lebanon (thank you Layal Merhi!), accommodates various activities of play and social activities to make the most of community interactions. The grand opening was attended

by over 1000 people who were delighted by the new space in their town. Turkish and Syrian kids planted trees and practiced traditional dances together. We hope to support community-strengthening projects that build resilience and belonging in the future.

Thank you for supporting Karam in 2019 and beyond. Stay tuned for my 10 reflections on the 2010s!

With love,

Lina