Hope can be your strongest asset when everything collapses around you—your history, identity, friends, and family. With “limited English skills,” resilience, an old laptop, and hope, you can still make a difference.
Relocating to Beirut (July 2012)
Due to my activism and increasing security concerns, I left Damascus in July 2012, moving to Beirut with my small family (children aged 5 and 16). In Beirut, I started creating a new network to continue sending humanitarian aid to Syria.
Supporting Syrian Initiatives
Despite being far from home, I focused on supporting small initiatives and groups working inside Syria. My contributions were primarily online and included:
Linking Syrian Activists with International NGOs
Connected activists with international organizations for funding, such as the Ghota Local Council.Monitoring and Evaluation Systems
Assisted Al Marj Local Council in creating effective monitoring and evaluation systems.Proposal Writing and Reporting
Wrote proposals and reports in English for donors on behalf of Al Marj Local Council.Donor Representation
Represented Syrian activists who couldn't speak English in communications with donors.Establishing Administrative and Financial Systems
Helped establish admin and finance systems for organizations like Jassmin Baladi.
Supporting Ethical Journalism
Through administrative support, I contributed to identifying Syrian activists from across Syria, helping them receive training in ethical journalism and professional photography in Beirut, and then embedded them back into Syria to continue their work.
Supporting Syrians in Lebanon (Sept. 2012 – 2017)
I created, managed, and organized a Facebook group to help Syrians fleeing to Lebanon find trusted information easily. This group provided:
UN regulations for refugees, Lebanese residency procedures, and other crucial information
A list of Syrian doctors and schools for Syrians
Important and urgent announcements related to Syrians
Support for small Syrian businesses
Combatting hate speech, rumors, and disinformation
Without any funding or affiliation, I served over 14,000 Syrian refugees. Some key accomplishments include:
Secured shelters, education, and aid for dozens of families.
Organized and facilitated community support networks.
Launched youth initiatives to support women and children in Lebanon.
Assisted individuals with medical support, scholarships, housing, relief aid, and blood donations.
Media Coverage and Advocacy
TV Interview about My Advocacy Work
A TV interview discussing the impact of the Facebook group that connected thousands of Syrians, which I created and managed.Lebanese Newspaper Interview
An article in a Lebanese newspaper highlighting my work and contributions.
Advocacy Campaign: Planet Syria (Aug 2014)
As part of the Dawlaty team and in collaboration with the Syria Campaign, we launched the advocacy campaign Planet Syria. I managed the Syrian network, engaging Syrians inside the country, coordinating with Syrian media, conducting surveys, and managing micro-grants for grassroots organizations.
Help Me Stay – Article
An article I wrote for the campaign, reflecting on the struggles of staying resilient amid chaos.
Ongoing Research and Future Work (2015 to 2017)
My work from 2015 to 2017 is under research, with more insights to be shared soon.