Help a Syrian Refugee in MA
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My name is Marwa Mikati, and I am a student at Mount Holyoke College. I met Anas Alserafi and his family at an event at Mount Holyoke College hosted by the Arab Association. They are a family that fled the conflict in Syria, and have finally found peace in the United States. Natasha Emaya, who's an MHC alum and social worker, connected us with his family. We invited Anas to speak about his story, and now we are trying to help Anas raise funds to apply and go to college. The money will be directly transferred to him. The following is his statement.
"Hello everyone, my name is Anas and I'm from Syria. I'm in the 11th grade at Chicopee high school.
Everyone today knows Syria, while 10 years ago, it was a name barely heard on the news or recognized by most westerners.
Syria has seen some of the oldest civilizations on earth. Damascus is the city I call home. It has been the capital of Syria for the past 1400 years. It is only 90 square miles with what used to be a flourishing economy dependent on trading and industry. The city is famous for having many traditional and historical sites. There are many schools, colleges, museums, theaters and opera houses. Unlike what film producers show, there are no camels or tents. City of Jasmine is what Damascus is called because of the smell coming from all the jasmine grown there. Life there was safe, comfortable and quiet for its people who are about 4 million and are diverse ethnically and religiously. (Of course this statistic is before the war, today we cannot get an accurate estimation of the alive or dead).
The war started with little problems we thought was going to be resolved in days or weeks. This was further from the truth as these problems grew into a full war that extended to all parts of Syria. I tried understanding everything that was going on around me, I tried watching the news and talking to people to reach the truth but till now I haven't gotten an answer.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that justifies anyone killing anyone.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that gives someone the right to kill.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that explains the change that people have gone through.
There are no answers. Nothing would explain this but to say that this is a crazy war that decided to come into my country and kill as many as it can.
Today, the world continues to witness this injustice done to my people. The torture and the pain we are going through. This is a crazy war where justice nor reason apply! I truly believe that no one can stop such a war but God. So I ask you God to stop this war, to stop the killing and to spread peace and love.
In the beginning, we stayed in Damascus during these terrible times. Watching as our beautiful city gets destroyed. Things were getting worse and worse and the bombings were getting closer, bigger and scarier. We lived in constant fear. The young city lost its youth and I lost my best friend. Ahmad was a victim of this cruel war. He was shot in the head for no reason. At that time, our future was filled with death, destruction and loss of hope.
Things got worse and it was impossible to stay. Staying meant dying. We decided to seek refuge in Jordan. We left everyone and everything and went, hoping for a better future. I kept thinking to myself if we are ever going to go back to our home. In Jordan, we faced a new set of issues. There were much pressure for us to return back to Syria where only death awaits us. We finally got the chance to come to the US. The process took about a year but it felt like it was going to be a new start. It felt like my life stopped in Jordan, I was going to be born again in the US.
September 17th is the day we arrived at JFK. That day is now another birthday for me. I felt like I was born again when I arrived. Everything was so different. So different than what I could ever imagine. I was enrolled upon arrival in the 11th grade because of English and I've been trying my best to keep up. Despite all the challenges I'm facing here, I'm more than determined to make my dreams and my parents' dreams come true. One day, I hope to be a medical engineer who will make a difference in the world.
When you opened your doors and hearts for the people who are in need, you have proven to me that life is beautiful and that mercy and humanity still exist."
Anas is a Syrian refugee who lives with both his siblings and parents. He wants to pursue his dreams and needs our help to do so. His family lacks the financial resources for Anas to even apply for colleges in the states. They are struggling financially to pay rent as they are both unemployed because of language barriers. They are both seeking jobs to support their children, however, times are really tough. Anything you can donate for Anas and his family is deeply appreciated.
"Hello everyone, my name is Anas and I'm from Syria. I'm in the 11th grade at Chicopee high school.
Everyone today knows Syria, while 10 years ago, it was a name barely heard on the news or recognized by most westerners.
Syria has seen some of the oldest civilizations on earth. Damascus is the city I call home. It has been the capital of Syria for the past 1400 years. It is only 90 square miles with what used to be a flourishing economy dependent on trading and industry. The city is famous for having many traditional and historical sites. There are many schools, colleges, museums, theaters and opera houses. Unlike what film producers show, there are no camels or tents. City of Jasmine is what Damascus is called because of the smell coming from all the jasmine grown there. Life there was safe, comfortable and quiet for its people who are about 4 million and are diverse ethnically and religiously. (Of course this statistic is before the war, today we cannot get an accurate estimation of the alive or dead).
The war started with little problems we thought was going to be resolved in days or weeks. This was further from the truth as these problems grew into a full war that extended to all parts of Syria. I tried understanding everything that was going on around me, I tried watching the news and talking to people to reach the truth but till now I haven't gotten an answer.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that justifies anyone killing anyone.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that gives someone the right to kill.
Till now I haven't gotten an answer that explains the change that people have gone through.
There are no answers. Nothing would explain this but to say that this is a crazy war that decided to come into my country and kill as many as it can.
Today, the world continues to witness this injustice done to my people. The torture and the pain we are going through. This is a crazy war where justice nor reason apply! I truly believe that no one can stop such a war but God. So I ask you God to stop this war, to stop the killing and to spread peace and love.
In the beginning, we stayed in Damascus during these terrible times. Watching as our beautiful city gets destroyed. Things were getting worse and worse and the bombings were getting closer, bigger and scarier. We lived in constant fear. The young city lost its youth and I lost my best friend. Ahmad was a victim of this cruel war. He was shot in the head for no reason. At that time, our future was filled with death, destruction and loss of hope.
Things got worse and it was impossible to stay. Staying meant dying. We decided to seek refuge in Jordan. We left everyone and everything and went, hoping for a better future. I kept thinking to myself if we are ever going to go back to our home. In Jordan, we faced a new set of issues. There were much pressure for us to return back to Syria where only death awaits us. We finally got the chance to come to the US. The process took about a year but it felt like it was going to be a new start. It felt like my life stopped in Jordan, I was going to be born again in the US.
September 17th is the day we arrived at JFK. That day is now another birthday for me. I felt like I was born again when I arrived. Everything was so different. So different than what I could ever imagine. I was enrolled upon arrival in the 11th grade because of English and I've been trying my best to keep up. Despite all the challenges I'm facing here, I'm more than determined to make my dreams and my parents' dreams come true. One day, I hope to be a medical engineer who will make a difference in the world.
When you opened your doors and hearts for the people who are in need, you have proven to me that life is beautiful and that mercy and humanity still exist."
Anas is a Syrian refugee who lives with both his siblings and parents. He wants to pursue his dreams and needs our help to do so. His family lacks the financial resources for Anas to even apply for colleges in the states. They are struggling financially to pay rent as they are both unemployed because of language barriers. They are both seeking jobs to support their children, however, times are really tough. Anything you can donate for Anas and his family is deeply appreciated.
Organizer and beneficiary
Marwa Mikati
Organizer
South Hadley, MA
Anas Sayrafi
Beneficiary
