“Karam means generosity, or giving, in Arabic.”

Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, 11 million Syrian refugees have fled their homes. 4.8 million of these refugees sought refuge in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq. 6.6 million are internally displaced throughout Syria, and 1 million have fled to other parts of Europe.

If there can be mention of any positive to come out of  the horrors of the Syrian Civil War, some accolades must be given to the  various organizations who promote justice and peace in the world. The Karam Foundation is one of these organizations who seek to bring justice and peace to worn-torn Syria.

Their mission statement states,  ” We seek to restore the dignity and quality of life for people affected by conflict by eliminating barriers to success through innovative education, entrepreneurial development, and community-driven aid.”

On Nov. 8, 2016, Lina Sergie Attar, co-founder of the foundation, was invited on behalf of Regina Dominican’s Leadership Institute to speak to the community about the importance of activism and understanding in the world. Sergie Attar placed heavy emphasis on the role the media has played in this process.

Stephen Kinzer in an opinion piece for the  Boston Globe,  stated that the American media is largely to blame for the misinformation about the situation in Syria. He said, “Americans are being told that the virtuous course in Syria is to fight the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian partners. We are supposed to hope that a righteous coalition of Americans, Turks, Saudis, Kurds, and the “moderate opposition” will win. This is convoluted nonsense, but Americans cannot be blamed for believing it. We have almost no real information about the combatants, their goals, or their tactics. Much blame for this lies with our media.”

Though it is true that most Americans have not received accurate information about the Syrian Civil War, it is those like Lina Sergie Attar that put the whole situation in perspective. For instance, she spoke of the White Helmets, a group of Syrians who dig through rubble in hopes of saving those who are victims of bombings and other violent acts.

In some areas is Syria, there are 50 bombings a day. Since their beginning, the White Helmets who risk their own lives by saving people who have been injured in the civil war. To date, they have saved more than 73,530 lives.

Another extremely important issue that Sergir Attar’s discussed  that is a enormous consequence of the refugee crisis is the future of the Syrian children. In Lebanon alone, nearly half the refugee children receive no form of education.

According to the Human Rights Watch, “Older children are particularly affected: of the 82,744 registered Syrian refugees aged 15-18 as of August 2015, less than 3 percent enrolled in public secondary schools during the 2015-2016 school year.”

Sergie Attar asked the audience to stop and think about what would happen if nearly an entire generation of Syrians receives little to no education. Fortunately, the Karam Foundation seeks to alleviate this fear.

Since 2011, Karam Foundation has sponsored and rebuilt 30 schools, educated nearly 8,000 children, and has employed 130 mentors. In addition, Lina Sergie Attar co-founded the Karam Leadership Foundation, whose goal is to equip Syrian youth with technological and entrepreneurial skills, among other things, to help improve their future. This is just one program of many inside the Karam Foundation that seeks to create a better future and quality of life.

So what can you do?

You can donate to the foundation by clicking HERE.. This money will support the foundation’s cause, specifically, the “Innovative Education,” “Smart Aid,” and the “Sustainable Development” programs.

Furthermore, you can research the Syrian Civil War to have a better understanding of the crisis. If we all have the facts, we can work together to create a better future for all.