I remember our bus driving through a myriad of twisting and turning paths and alleyways as we neared the school we would be based at for the day. Along the way, I caught eyes with a cluster of small children, sat by the roadside, I remember waving and being greeted with enormous smiles, some would excitedly chase the bus till we parked outside the school until the once small crowd had multiplied tenfold.
Walking into the dimly lit hall, we were welcomed with hundreds of bright eyes and even brighter smiles. Countless small faces filled with anticipation and curiosity, they would flock around and eagerly extend their hands for a ‘high five’.
It was so incredibly heart-warming to know that most of the children had been waiting for an entire year to spend just a single day with the Project Amal ou Salam team. These children who had come from worlds filled with conflict, loss and destruction – with very little to smile about – had found happiness in our company.
During ‘World Day’ workshops, we spoke about what the children missed most about Syria, they responded with countless pictures of trees, flowers and carefully drawn illustrations of their favourite foods. It quickly became evident that it was the beauty and simplicity of life that had been lost amidst the conflict.
The ‘Syria’ workshop was really about rekindling their love for a country after being torn from its clutches. Despite their distance, allowing them to feel empowered enough to know that one day, they would return and rebuild the Syria of their dreams.
The work we carry out as volunteers with Project Amal ou Salam is simple – together we act as a beacon of hope: creating a sense of confidence and optimism about the future, teaching the children we meet that things can change and giving them the power to dream, envision and plan for a positive future.
My time in Lebanon with Project Amal ou Salam has truly been one of the most utterly rewarding, life-altering, eye-opening experiences I have been fortunate enough to be a part of.
Despite my elementary Arabic, I realised that the language of love, empathy and acceptance transcends all barriers. Sometimes, to truly connect with someone, smiles and hugs prove far more powerful than words.
As a first time volunteer, it’s only natural to be overcome with a sense of despondency, to question yourself if you can truly make a difference to the life of a Syrian refugee – the answer is yes, if that means you evoked in them a sense of happiness, a single smile even, or the realisation that someone had travelled from across the world to be with them – that they hadn’t been forgotten – the answer is always, most definitely yes.
