Update: As we have met our original goal of $30,000 to build the school and fund year one, I have raised the goal to $42,000 to begin funding for year two. A previous local campaign from Chicago that was short of their goal to build a mobile school for Syrian Refugees in Jordan as well, has decided to donate their total funds of $7400 towards funding for year two of Rahaf's school, so that only $4600 remain to complete the new goal!

Before you read any further, if you haven’t already, click on the picture below to view the video poem I wrote highlighting my personal experiences visiting the Syrian and Palestinian Refugees in Jordan. 

I met Rahaf, an 8 year old Syrian girl in the Jordanian Al-Mafraq Refugee Camp on January 1st of this year through a service aid trip with Helping Hand For Relief and Development (HHRD).

Rahaf and her friends have no opportunities to obtain an education in the area that they are currently living in. 

I am partnering with HHRD to build a Caravan of Hope School for the very same tent camp area Rahaf is in. Up to 60 kids of all different ages will be able to embark upon pursuing an education for their first time.

The school infrastructure costs $18,000 to build and $12,000 per year to maintain the teacher salary, school supplies, and extra materials. I am aiming to build the school and fund it for one year at the least, with a commitment to raise funds yearly after that. However, any excess funds on this campaign will go towards future sustenance. 

Rahaf’s Story: 

Of the dozens of orphans and refugee children that I interacted with during the trip, Rahaf was the one who deeply impacted me the most. 

I played tag with her and her group of friends, flew them around like superman, and raced them only to find out how slow I am!

These small simple acts brought true joy and lit up the faces of the kids, who have lived their entire lives in the middle of a desert in tent camps with no access to a restroom, food, and water. 

Upon meeting Rahaf, I found out she wants to be a lawyer like myself. On my flight back from the trip, I felt so guilty that I get to return to America and actually pursue an opportunity to go to law school, but I leave behind hundreds of kids that do not even know, nor have the means, of barely learning the Arabic alphabet. 

As we were leaving the camp, I bow down to hug Rahaf and kiss her goodbye, and she says to me immediately, “are you going to forget me?” Shocked, but also sentimental by such a question, the last words I tell her are, “Never, we’re going to change this world together!”

Many of us wish to change the world and make it a better place. Though we may not be able to change the world entirely, at least we can change someone’s world. 

During our trip, I visited one of HHRD’s current Caravan of Hope School in another camp area. This picture of bright smiles and hope will be the product of your support:

I pray that the children of Syria get to fulfill their dreams through your donations and will be a means of your own Sadaqa Jariya (continuous charity).

Help me to fulfill my mission of providing an education to Rahaf, her friends, and the Syrian children of Al-Mafraq Refugee Camp by donating whatever you can and sharing this link or poem to spread awareness. 

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says, "When a person dies, all their deeds end except three: a continuing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for them." [Muslim]