- K
- S
“Throughout history, people have been displaced by conflict. Persecution, the destruction of property and social breakdown all cause people to make the difficult decision to leave their homes.
The tools of war and oppression change. The places where it happens vary. People may choose to take different things with them. But the impact is always the same - the catastrophic upheaval of ordinary lives.
Stay or leave. Can you imagine having to make that decision?”
-Imperial War Museum, London
**To protect the family's privacy, I will not be using their family name, and have made the cover photo a photo of Zataari refugee camp in Jordan. This is very important them. Please feel free to contact me for additional details.**
Manal and Yassir made a series of life-changing decisions when they decided to leave war-struck Syria in 2013. They fled the only country they knew on foot, with just a few possessions and their five children, in the middle of the night as bombs flashed over their heads. They crossed Syria’s southern border into Jordan, where they faced a terrible choice - stay with extended family in a house, but have no access to formal education for their children; or go to Zataari refugee camp and live in a thin metal trailer, but give their children the opportunity to formally continue their education. As teachers, the choice was clear - their children’s education was of upmost importance. And so they split from their family, and went to live in the refugee camp.
In 2016, after three long years in the refugee camp, the family was told they would be resettled. They got on a plane to Egypt, and another plane from Egypt to DC, and only once in DC were they told where they would be resettled - Salt Lake City, Utah. The family of seven was moved into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, and that is where I met them in March of 2016.
The family's sacrifices have paid off - the kids are thriving. Their oldest son has a scholarship to Westminster College, where he is now living on campus as an RA. He was selected by the International Rescue Committee as one of ten Syrian Refugees in the USA to participate in a leadership program in DC. He is studying to be a doctor, because he wants to help people.
Manal and Yassar’s twin daughters have just begun their freshman year at the University of Utah, where they have full, merit-based scholarships. They live at home, and are attending school completely remotely. When I call Manal, one of the twins will usually answer the phone with a “what’s up, Stephanie?” - sounding exactly like an American teenager, except for a slight twinge of an accent on certain words. It’s amazing to remember the shy, quiet girls who were too embarrassed to practice their English with me, while listening to these teenagers bicker over who gets to tell me the idiom they just learned.
Yassir and Manal are dignified people, who have made impossible choices in order to put their children’s futures first. Coronavirus has brought about challenges that no one could have ever predicted, and raise the bar to achievement ever-higher for their children.
Manal recently told me that her mother, who lives in Jordan, suffered a stroke over the summer; as such, the financial priorities on Manal and Yassir are competing. Her mother's care includes 3x/week physical therapy. The increased financial pressure that Coronavirus has caused has not helped the family's situation. As such, I would like to gift Manal and Yassir a bit of financial breathing room by gifting each of the collage-aged kids with a new laptop. The kids recently mentioned to me that they have been conducting their online classes using laptops that were purchased at Goodwill - and the computers themselves are over 10 years old already. I am looking at those that are recommended by their respective schools to meet the demands of online learning. I can’t think of three teenagers more deserving of something to call completely their own.
I’ve estimated the costs of the three computers to be around $3,000. The computers will be purchased using the proceeds, and any leftover money will be sent directly to Manal and Yassir to use at their own discretion.
I hope you will consider giving, and I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read about this incredible family. Please feel free to pass along to anyone you think may be interested to help, and feel free to contact me should you have any questions or wish to speak in more detail.
Best,
Stephanie
The tools of war and oppression change. The places where it happens vary. People may choose to take different things with them. But the impact is always the same - the catastrophic upheaval of ordinary lives.
Stay or leave. Can you imagine having to make that decision?”
-Imperial War Museum, London
**To protect the family's privacy, I will not be using their family name, and have made the cover photo a photo of Zataari refugee camp in Jordan. This is very important them. Please feel free to contact me for additional details.**
Manal and Yassir made a series of life-changing decisions when they decided to leave war-struck Syria in 2013. They fled the only country they knew on foot, with just a few possessions and their five children, in the middle of the night as bombs flashed over their heads. They crossed Syria’s southern border into Jordan, where they faced a terrible choice - stay with extended family in a house, but have no access to formal education for their children; or go to Zataari refugee camp and live in a thin metal trailer, but give their children the opportunity to formally continue their education. As teachers, the choice was clear - their children’s education was of upmost importance. And so they split from their family, and went to live in the refugee camp.
In 2016, after three long years in the refugee camp, the family was told they would be resettled. They got on a plane to Egypt, and another plane from Egypt to DC, and only once in DC were they told where they would be resettled - Salt Lake City, Utah. The family of seven was moved into a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment, and that is where I met them in March of 2016.
The family's sacrifices have paid off - the kids are thriving. Their oldest son has a scholarship to Westminster College, where he is now living on campus as an RA. He was selected by the International Rescue Committee as one of ten Syrian Refugees in the USA to participate in a leadership program in DC. He is studying to be a doctor, because he wants to help people.
Manal and Yassar’s twin daughters have just begun their freshman year at the University of Utah, where they have full, merit-based scholarships. They live at home, and are attending school completely remotely. When I call Manal, one of the twins will usually answer the phone with a “what’s up, Stephanie?” - sounding exactly like an American teenager, except for a slight twinge of an accent on certain words. It’s amazing to remember the shy, quiet girls who were too embarrassed to practice their English with me, while listening to these teenagers bicker over who gets to tell me the idiom they just learned.
Yassir and Manal are dignified people, who have made impossible choices in order to put their children’s futures first. Coronavirus has brought about challenges that no one could have ever predicted, and raise the bar to achievement ever-higher for their children.
Manal recently told me that her mother, who lives in Jordan, suffered a stroke over the summer; as such, the financial priorities on Manal and Yassir are competing. Her mother's care includes 3x/week physical therapy. The increased financial pressure that Coronavirus has caused has not helped the family's situation. As such, I would like to gift Manal and Yassir a bit of financial breathing room by gifting each of the collage-aged kids with a new laptop. The kids recently mentioned to me that they have been conducting their online classes using laptops that were purchased at Goodwill - and the computers themselves are over 10 years old already. I am looking at those that are recommended by their respective schools to meet the demands of online learning. I can’t think of three teenagers more deserving of something to call completely their own.
I’ve estimated the costs of the three computers to be around $3,000. The computers will be purchased using the proceeds, and any leftover money will be sent directly to Manal and Yassir to use at their own discretion.
I hope you will consider giving, and I greatly appreciate your taking the time to read about this incredible family. Please feel free to pass along to anyone you think may be interested to help, and feel free to contact me should you have any questions or wish to speak in more detail.
Best,
Stephanie