It's Been a While.....

And then life got busy, but good busy, and 18 months later I am sort of waking up to a need for better balance for the sake of helping Syria as a marathon and not a sprint. My last post coincided with the week I decided to found a non-profit organization focused on helping mothers and children inside Syria and at the borders and we have been busy, busy, busy since then.

But, busy often tags along with a potential for a burn-out and that's where things are lingering at right now and thus the awakened need to re-prioritize what is doable, attainable, what is re-energizing and what is detrimental to achieving great results in helping our Syrian sisters and brothers in the fastest time possible and with optimum long-term consequences.

NuDay Syria has been a fantastic experience and very life-confirming, giving myself and thousands of people both here and inside Syria hope and actual love and help to get on with life. There is nothing more honorable and humbling than being able to act on our inclinations to help and on empowering mothers and daughters who would otherwise be much worse off.

NuDay Syria has several women on its board, is obviously founded by a female, works closely with many female Syrian activists and prioritizes aid and empowerment to mothers and their children - and we love what we are doing!

Right now things have gotten into a good rhythm in terms of what we are getting done at a minimum monthly and as we get into gear to expand and get into other and creative ways  of fundraising and keeping the momentum of awareness of the need for ongoing aid strong, I am back to bonding more with life, taking walks and reading some nourishing books, discussing with the kids and planning their daily lives. The intensity is there but it is on a lower flame in order to not burn out.

Road Map for Aid

Not feeling too empowered today. Sad sad sad. Need to figure out a mental road map to solve the humanitarian crisis in Syria, no way around it. We have so many amazing folks who want to help and so many resources. There is a key and we need to find it and unlock that door that will ensure help is getting around to everyone and nobody is left hungry.

Can't get over that people are starving. Don't even want to think about my own family there going hungry. It is too surreal. All of us working on the humanitarian aspect need to do a much better and more aggressive job, think outside of the box and overcome obstacles we never knew existed - as long as we get aid out in as quick a manner as possible.

We are not fighting this revolution with weapons nor even with posters of free speech. We are defying suppression, hate and power-plays by refusing to bow down, by going above and beyond our inner instincts of shyness, fear, apprehension, all for the sake of feeding a few people or getting them dressed so they can exist with some dignity, possibly even offering them an option to move into safe shelter.

There is a road map, I know there is. We'll find it. And in the meantime we'll do one small project at a time and God forgive us if we ignore anyone asking for help or not asking but being in need. One thing is for sure, we are the lesser ones and our efforts can never match those of people who live in fear, hunger, oppression, or deprivation.

Trek for Freedom

Like many, then, yes, we don't realize what freedom means until we see people fighting and dying to breathe their last breath in defiance of shackling of their souls. I am myself totally free-spirited, but not necessarily brave. 

As the Revolution in Syria has progressed, it is becoming apparent that bravery is found deep inside of us and if we trust and believe in goodness and righteousness, then there is no stopping the innner courage we never knew we had. Moving forward becomes the only option. There is no going back.

Freedom is not about having peace and quiet on the surface. It is about breathing in free air and not having any fear of being supervised or having your thoughts supervised. Freedom starts with free education where there is free exchange of opinions and student are valued as individuals. Freedom is to not raise your children in fear of the Big Bad Wolf (because you have always lived in fear of him, so why shouldn't they?). Freedom becomes a total shedding of your past and living life with no submssion, but to your Creator and to goodness and justice. 

The one regret I have and will forever have as long as I live in this life is the fact that I am not able to make human lives be more valuable than money and power. Because it all boils down to the fact that the price of freedom is money and power and influence unless goodness and humanity can prevail. There is no doubt in my mind that humanity will prevail in Syria - do not get me wrong - but it will be despite money and power, not because of it.

One Big Family - Help a Syrian Family with Food and Shelter

Due to the relative success of our collection for financial assistance for a handful of displaced Syrian families a few weeks back, then I have set up a new fundraiser on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/events/132283346932064/?fref=ts. You really don't want to miss neither helping nor joining because the urgency is so high. Families are arriving into Turkey with no money and no means. Many of the families have no man and their daughters are being sexually targeted, being volatile and not having secure places to sleep and rest in. I don't really don't want to imagine the details which is why collecting money and getting them shelter - and hopefully some money to spare for food - is my way of surviving mentally while thousands of Syrians are suffering.

These kids here are one of the families being helped by the donations we are getting off Facebook. There are so many caring people out there. Karam Foundation is helping us and Hani is finding the fmailies and supervising their needs.

Families Living off Leaves....

It's been a while since I have posted updates on my activities. Bear with me. Life got the better of me and I got really, really busy. A few weeks ago my activist friend Hani Freedom (photo above) requested help for a few families that had crossed the border into Turkey, but had no food or safe shelter. They are literally making soup from leaves picked off the surrounding olive trees.

Hani is a 21 year old Turkish brother who grew up and became a man. He left his university studies because his heart was with the people of the Syrian revolution. I originally met Hani and his twin brother Shadi as they were requesting a bit help for the Syrian patients there were encountering who did not have any change to be able to call their families or buy some basic medication etc. He asked for money so people who had arrived in tattered, wounded clothes could retain some dignity and get some clothes on their bodies. Since then, Hani has become my trusted link to the need of several medical cases and families in need.

One of the families we are helping right now has three daughters. Their father broke down crying in the private footage I saw because he can't provide them with something as essential as water. The mother described how they got attacked in their home by missilies and had to pick up their family members all in pieces and that this family here of 5 people is what is left. I was thinking, who knows how many children she lost, aunts, uncles? Random and senseless.

This little girl here is the daughter of that couple. She is trying to keep smiling, but in the video you see her nervously move her hands and looks from her mother to her father, working on keeping her smile going. She looks to be 8-9 years old and probably used to be able to make her father and mother laugh form happiness when looking at her.

Coming to a Place near You!

Two nights ago I set up a virtual collection for winter coats for Syrian refugee children sitting in camps in Gaziantep and around as well. The response has been very positive and has been yet another encouragement that together we can move mountains and get things done and support the cause and rally for freedom - and, very importantly, support the children who are paying such a high price with their childhoods.

This particular collection was a project I had been wanting to do for a while but was finally prompted by the collection Hassan AlMasri did for sponsorships for orphans inside Syria, aslo with Zakat Foundation. He used a platform website called Razoo and after looking around at other platforms including a "free one" (obviously with a catch and very few technical options), then I decided this was the best venue for this particular collection. The money will go directly to Zakat so I don't have to be the middle person; I am merely the facilitator, or whatever you want to call it, along with the dozen or so other hosts I invited to this virtual event.

These are amongst the children we are hoping to provide warm coats for. This is a picture from Gaziantep refugee camp.

Waaaay Alternative Collection for Orphans!!!

In the Facebook world of collecting monies for Syria efforts and humanitarian aid, this beneficial event here called Shave Your Mustache takes the cake! The Revolution in Syria has caused literally thousands of children to become orphans with relatives or friends only to rely on for care. The situation is obviously very dire as most people have no income anymore and can barely eat and live.

A few humanitarian organizations immediately got in the game and set up projects aimed at just helping orphans. A couple of very dedicated organizations with zero overhead - meaning all money collected goes to the aid intended - is Zakat Foundation as well as Syrian Orphans Org. However, as much as they try to get sponsorships and collect, sometimes a little extra effort is what it takes.

A young doctor called Hassan set up a very silly, but as it turned out, very effective campaign on Facebook last week where he offered to shave off his beard as soon as he reached the goal of getting two orphans sponsored. As it turned out, then people loved it and he was able to collect enough to feed and school SEVEN orphans for one year, God Bless him.

Dr. Hassan quickly expanded on the idea and got a few friends with ugly mustaches into the game and now we have a handful of men offering their mustaches as bounty for donations towards helpless Syrian orphans. It is really quite spectacular when you think of it.

In a day and half, then the team and their enthusiasm have been able to collect over $8,000 - can you believe it? That's around 12 orphans and we haven't called it the night yet.

Here are some of the orphaned children you would be helping get some normalcy into their lives:

Helping a kid is not dependent on race or nationality or religion, but on empathy and heart-strings.