It has been an amazing Spring at The Azraq Center filled with learning, enrichment, and activities for our 400 Syrian students. Read on below for some of the ways we are putting your donations to work to make a real impact for a community in need!
“This project has taught me many valuable lessons, such as how the smallest things in life, like a smile or a hug, can bring so much happiness. As I witnessed children’s faces light up with joy and wonder at the magic of music, they taught me to be more present in the moment and enjoy everything that is happening around me.
The enthusiasm displayed by them towards learning inspired me to explore new teaching methods and discover innovative ways to create music lessons that would be inclusive and accessible to students from all kinds of backgrounds.
Through this project, I also gained a deeper understanding of music’s ability to transcend cultural barriers and bring people together in harmony. This has been an incredibly fulfilling experience, and the memories of our time together will always hold a special place in my heart.”
- Merve, working alongside other musicians to teach music to local kids in Al Azraq, exploring music from various parts of the world, incorporating body percussion, improvisation and also drawing to make it fun and interactive.
This Spring, a group of students and professors from Sibelius Academy’s Global Music Program hosted a collaborative music week with our students at The Azraq Center!
Led by professors Nemat Battah and Puro Paju, students had the opportunity to play a variety of instruments and learn international dances and songs.
The key outcomes were to bring music making and creativity to the daily life of the kids, and to give the global music students the experience of working in an international environment and getting to know the community of Al Azraq.
“The long-term goal is to go there again with different students each time and help create a sustainable music project that can be led by a local musician(s) in the future, which will allow the kids to have music as a regularly taught school subject like any other subject’’ - Global music lecturer Nemat Battah.
“Working with the students in Azraq was a beautiful reminder of how undefined the divide between “teacher” and “student” is. I feel I was taught so many lessons about life, it’ll take quite a while to absorb it all.”
- Jussi, composer, guitarist and oud player working in transcultural musical contexts.
“It was truly inspiring to see the enthusiasm of the local youth to jump into unknown and try new things with a lot of excitement and eagerness to learn.
I also learned, that even without being a professional educator, my skills as a performing artist and a musician are more than enough to help me share the joy of music and create meaningful experiences for both myself and for the kids whom I had the honour to work with. The most important thing was to have an open heart and mind.”
-Viivi, teaching and leading music workshops for the local kids together with the project team. Also teaching Finnish folk dances and body percussion exercises, and supporting others playing accordion and singing.
Ramadan Celebrations at The Azraq Center
We marked the month of Ramadan with fun celebrations, activities, and two communal iftars (break fast dinners)!
We welcomed almost 400 students, staff included, to the center in the evening where we set up tables and decorations and brought a local restaurant to serve fresh meals for our students. After the iftar, the students gathered for a magic show, which they all enjoyed, then spent the rest of the evening playing games and exchanging stories.
A second Iftar was set up just for the teenagers in which they had different activities afterwards, such as playing soccer and basketball at the center.
Lastly, thanks to incredible donor support, we provided food distributions to 190 families, ensuring that families had the adequate supplies to celebrate Ramadan and enjoy meals with their families.
The Azraq Center's morning shift of students gathered for an enormous Iftar.
Every year, we appreciate the faith given to us by our students and parents to host this lovely evening.
Azraq’s ‘Little Thinkers’ at the International Science Festival
We were proud to participate for a second year at The Science United Festival! The virtual science fair for refugee and migrant students hosted 15 science projects prepared by teams of refugee students and their classmates around the world.
In Azraq, Science teacher Malak AlZuite and English teacher Renad BDour coached our students as they demonstrated how to write messages with invisible ink, make a windmill, and create balloon-powered cars! Check out their work on the Festival’s website: https://lnkd.in/eZtetXHF
Helping A’isha after the flood
Azraq recently experienced a massive flood, affecting many families' homes, especially those living in tents or other makeshift buildings. Our school's cook, A’isha, lives in a tent with her parents, and four other siblings, where she is the primary breadwinner. The devastating flood completely destroyed the tent and all items in it.
Our team took quick action to assist A’isha and her family. We identified a new place to live and rallied our community to chip in to furnish the home. We were able to purchase essential supplies including a refrigerator, stove, heater, and other furniture like new quilts, clean mattresses, and clothes.
Ai’sha’s home after the flood & a Truck with new supplies for the family!
Azraq family Moves to New Jersey
Two weeks ago, one of our Azraq families received word that they were coming to the United States! After sitting on a resettlement waiting list with UNHCR since 2016, the Al Obeid family has officially arrived in New Jersey. AECF Executive Director Lexi, who is based in New York, came to greet them and help coordinate with the local resettlement agency and other volunteers to help make their transition as smooth as possible.
While we will miss them in Azraq, we can’t wait to see all they accomplish in their new home!
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Dear Supporters,
In the last few months, we’ve been busy in Azraq finishing up the school year and heading into our Summer program. Read on for the latest from Jordan:
SUMMER PROGRAMS
We wrapped up another successful academic year, and are transitioning into camp mode! Over the next two months, kids are participating in student-led clubs like journalism, gardening, sports, english, and more! We also continue our mission to fill in educational gaps and are hosting supplemental classes all summer for students who may be struggling to help them catch up in time for the new school year.
BASKETBALL CLINIC
Basketball is now an Azraq Center sport! We partnered with Full Court Peace to host a basketball clinic for our students. Kids of all ages learned to dribble, shoot, and more with lead coach Mike and student ambassador Cyrus! Cyrus is fundraising to renovate our basketball court into a multi-purpose sports court where we can host matches, team sports, and other fun activities - the court will hopefully be painted and finished by the end of the month! Progress will be updated on our Instagram!
COMMUNITY GARDEN
Our community garden is in bloom! Students are growing and harvesting eggplants, zucchini, radishes, mint, parsley, tomatoes, and more right on campus to incorporate into their daily lunch! In an effort to promote sustainability, we also implemented a student-led compost program, which takes compost made from leftover garden vegetables and puts in right back into the garden.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FESTIVAL
In May, we partnered with Science United to participate in an International Science Competition! A group of our students formed a team and worked on an engineering project where they utilized design software to create a wooden puzzle of the periodic table! They were able to share their project with other refugee students in Greece and Turkey, and real scientists weighed in and gave feedback on their project. Check it out in the video here:
BECOME A MONTHLY DONOR
The best way for you to stay involved and make an impact is to become a monthly donor. Every dollar counts and your donation directly benefits our students, their education, and their overall quality of life.
STAY CONNECTED:
Today is World Refugee Day and we’ve teamed up with filmmaker Beryl Shereshewsky to celebrate the Syrian refugees and Jordanians of Azraq, Jordan and the rich culinary traditions that have helped bring these two communities together.
Watch the video below and consider making a donation today to support our important work for Syrian refugee students at The Azraq Center!
Dear Supporters,
I am so proud of everything we accomplished in 2021! The ongoing pandemic forced our community to adapt time and again to shifting circumstances–but through it all The Azraq Education Center staff, teachers, and families remained resilient, upbeat, and fully committed to the success of our students.
When we switched to distance learning, teachers went out of their way to hand-deliver worksheets to students’ homes and parents helped their kids stay connected via WhatsApp on family mobile devices. I was encouraged to see that even when apart, we could continue moving forward.
The sweetest moment of the year, however, came when we finally got to put down permanent roots for The Azraq Education Center. ln the fall of 2021, we opened the doors to a brand new facility designed to help our students thrive. This has been a dream long in the making and was made possible through the generosity, hard work, and dedication of many.
CLICK BELOW TO READ THE FULL 2021 ANNUAL REPORT:
Thank you to everyone for your support and generosity to our programs and to the families we serve! Everything we do is possible because of you.
With sincere gratitude,
Lexi Shereshewsky
Executive Director, The Azraq Education and Community Fund
WATCH: Our 9th and 10th graders, in collaboration with filmmaker Beryl Shereshewsky, put together THIS VIDEO to share their school with all of you!
Dear Supporters,
Nearly seven years after we opened our first two emergency classrooms for Syrian refugee children in need of an education in South Azraq, Jordan, we are thrilled to announce that our new, permanent building for The Azraq Center has officially opened!
This building is a dream years in the making and the result of hard work, dedication, and incredible generosity.
The new Azraq Center, located just a mile away from our original set-up, is equipped with 10 classrooms, a dedicated Montessori Pre-K room, IT lab, fantastic library, fully equipped kitchen, administrative room, and outdoor space with loads of future programming opportunities.
Our student body of 300+ students and team of 20 teachers and staff have already filled the rooms with creativity and dreams of what we will accomplish in the coming years.
We give a huge thank you to everyone who has supported our program over the years. We are proud to continue to provide impactful services for our Syrian and Jordanian beneficiaries, create jobs, and make meaningful, long lasting investments in the local community that lift everyone up.
In the coming months, we will look to expand our programs targeting teenagers, and develop new partnerships with local and international organizations to host awareness sessions, trainings, and other activities at the new and improved Azraq Center.
Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday and the end of the year are approaching! As you evaluate your end of year giving, please consider making a donation to The Azraq Education and Community Fund!
Our successful program is 100% donor supported and your contributions go directly to supporting our team of teachers, providing school supplies, and hosting programs like our daily lunch program, bus transportation, and other special program that enrich the lives of our 300 Syrian students and their families.
With gratitude,
The Azraq Fund team
Dear AECF Supporters,
We hope that everyone is staying healthy, happy, and safe with their loved ones.
We’ve stayed busy in Azraq these last few months, providing daily distance learning to 290 Syrian students, distributing hundreds of essential food packages for families throughout the month of Ramadan, and gearing up for *we hope* in-person learning starting soon!
Read on for the latest updates from AECF!
Distance Learning:
Jordan saw a big spike in Covid cases this Spring and our brief attempt at in-person learning in February/March was unfortunately cut short as schools across the country were closed once again. We returned to distance learning, preparing and delivering worksheets and activities to 290 students every week, and following up daily via WhatsApp.
Even from home, we’ve formed new virtual clubs and committees that help keep kids stay organized and involved, including a reading club, journalism club, and environmental committee! Students have also started a monthly newsletter where they share original stories, poetry, art, and more!
Food Distributions:
Thanks to very generous donors, we were able to provide more than 400 food packages to families in need during the month of Ramadan. This year has been extremely challenging for our beneficiaries, with many fathers still out of work due to Covid restrictions and families falling even deeper into poverty. Many face immediate food insecurities and regular distributions help ease the burden they face. Each food package, valued at $35-$40 USD, includes bulk quantities of rice, oil, meat (whole chickens or lamb), bulgur, sugar, and more.
New Teen Program Planning:
This year, a major goal is recruiting and retaining new teenage students to The Azraq Center program, and the work has already begun! We’re working with partners to develop mentorship programs, a scholarship fund, and more that will help give high academic-achieving teens the opportunity to fulfill their higher education dreams.
Concurrently, we are also focused on students that are struggling or out of school, ensuring that every teen has core literacy and math skills, and gets the opportunity to gain experience through vocational trainings. Stay tuned for more teenage programming updates in the coming months!
In Case You Missed It….
Last month, we gathered with SYE Initiative to host an informative and solutions-based discussion on Syria and the Education Crisis: 10 Years On. If you missed the webinar, you can check it out in the video below!
What’s Next:
Even with our best efforts to keep each of our students engaged and on track this year, we know that many have fallen behind over the past 15 months of distance learning. Throughout this summer, we will focus on individual student assessments, checking each student’s level and providing enhancement classes and extra help to bring everyone back up to speed, in anticipation of in-person learning come fall.
Make sure to Follow Us On Instagram for the latest updates and as always, THANK YOU for your ongoing support! Everything we do is thanks to your generosity.
All our best,
The AECF team
Dear Supporters,
In case you missed it, please watch a recording of our panel, Education & The Syria Crisis: 10 Years On. Special thanks to our panelists and moderator for hosting this interesting and important conversation!