Supporting the Al-Hamidi Family

Fatima, Oday, Kosay (5), and Loay (4) Al-Hamidi are a family of four from Damascus, Syria. In August of 2013, they were among the victims of the infamous sarin gas attack launched by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad against his own people. The Al-Hamidis' children choked on the gas, and became sick from the poison. Their youngest son Loay was only three months old. But they survived.

After the attack, they fled Syria, driving through the night to Beirut, Lebanon. Their only option was to live in a refugee camp, sharing a single room with three other families, in which they all ate, bathed, and slept. They endured this life for two years, while their application for asylum was exhaustively vetted by the United States. By a miracle, their application was accepted.

They arrived in Bridgeport, CT, on September 22, 2016, with $3800 to their name. Oday found a job as a busboy at a country club, where he has quickly become a valued and respected employee. Their children are now in public school. They are doing everything they can to become self-sufficient. But right now, they simply do not yet make enough money to survive.

We are a small group of families in who live close to the Al-Hamidis in Connecticut. Through our church groups and volunteer efforts, we have spent this past year getting to know this family personally. Our children have played with Kosay and Loay. We know this family as well as we know our own hearts. They are loving parents and beautiful children. They embody everything our own ancestors stood for when they fled their own hardships to become Americans.

We are asking for your help. With this effort, we are looking to raise enough money to bridge the gap between Oday's current income and their monthly expenses for the 2018-19 school year. The total amount we are hoping to raise is $10,000. As of this writing, we are almost halfway there.

We could not be more confident that with your support, the Al-Hamidi family will not only become self-sufficient, but prosperous Americans, who will contribute and give back to the country and community that has supported them.

We would be overwhelmingly appreciative if you would spread the word about this effort to anyone in your world who might be a kindred spirit: be they friends, family, colleagues, members of your social network, and so on. Needless to say if you work for a company that has a charitable habit or apparatus, we would appreciate that connection.

Thank you so much for your support.