Euphrates Institute 2016 Visionary of the Year

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Amal ou Salam

Our founder and director Nousha Kabawat was chosen as 2016 Visionary of the Year by the Euphrates Institute:

Every year, the Euphrates Institute recognizes one person doing extraordinary work at a grassroots level, striving to make the idealistic realistic and the impossible possible.
Visionaries are those whose fearless and indomitable spirit has allowed them to transform the hearts, minds and actions of those around them, and to reveal a solution where there was previously despair.

The Visionary of the Year award is a way for the Euphrates Institute to both honor and spotlight their work.

With the Syrian conflict at the forefront of our news and heavy in our hearts, this year we honor Nousha Kabawat, a Syrian-Canadian who founded Project Amal ou Salam (Hope and Peace), a grassroots organization that is dedicated to empowering Syrian refugee children and helping them to shape a better future.

On our Euphrates trip to the Middle East in September, we had the opportunity to spend a day with Nousha at Project Amal ou Salam’s school in Jerash, Jordan. It was incredible to see Nousha’s leadership and energy in action, as well as her commitment to the school’s staff and students. We were deeply inspired by the light and hope the kids expressed as they told us about their ambitions, played games and sang songs with us.

We are very proud to receive an award that recognises the impact and worth of our work.

This is the amazing video they shot while visiting Amal ou Salam school in Jarash, Jordan. Enjoy!

Happy holidays from our family to yours!

Keep spreading the love!

PRESS RELEASE

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Amal ou Salam

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Project Amal ou Salam’s volunteers trapped in Eastern Aleppo

[13.12.2016] Project Amal ou Salam is very worried about the escalation of violence in Eastern Aleppo, with growing concern from the United Nations that civilians are being slaughtered mercilessly.

In August, our underground community centre, Beit Amal ou Salam, was forced to suspend its activities due to the worsening situation and has since been used as a shelter.

One of our volunteers, Louai Barakat, who became father last March, was forced to flee Aleppo for Turkey with his family.

Our coordinator Basem Ayoubi and another volunteer, Omar al-Arab, remained in town and kept us up-to-date with the latest news and developments.

They told us about the worst fears of civilians – being arrested and disappearing inside the regime’s prisons – and about the lack of basic goods, including food and medicines.

All we know is that Basem and Omar are safe, for now. They told us they want to leave but there is no safe exit from Aleppo.

Basem has never picked up a weapon in the six years he has been in Aleppo. Last night he told us he will pick up a gun and fight and die in Aleppo because he said he would rather die fighting than die in the prisons of the regime.

He asked for nothing but for us to make his voice heard.

At such a terrible moment in history, and emphasising once again that Project Amal ou Salam has always been strictly non-political and non-sectarian, we cannot stay silent.

Aleppo called for the attention of the international community many times and yet no one answered the cry for help of the people of Aleppo.

Heinous crimes are being committed in one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world and it is happening live for everyone to watch.

Project Amal ou Salam stands in solidarity with the people of Aleppo and against the hatred and violence as we have always taught our children the power of love, mercy and hope.

PAoS Press release 13.12.2016

Huffpost about Beit Amal ou Salam in Aleppo

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Amal ou Salam

In case you missed it, The Huffington Post featured Beit Amal ou Salam, our centre in ‪#‎Aleppo‬ last week!

“We’re protecting [the children] physically, but also mentally because it’s totally underground. They can’t hear what’s happening outside … even if they are in the center and there are these ongoing airstrikes. So really we are able to take them out of this ugly reality for that time being and immerse them in this imaginative world,” our director, Nousha Kabawat, told the Huffpost.

Here’s the video, watch it, enjoy it and share it:
https://www.facebook.com/HuffingtonPost/videos/10153732991866130/