Update on Project Turquoise Scholars
In June 2018, 14 Project Turquoise (PT) Youth Committee members traveled to Jordan for a weeklong cultural exchange service trip in Camp Zaatari. Our American students formed everlasting relationship with 28 Syrian high school students that forever changed their lives. After the trip, our students made a commitment to continue their support and partnership by helping their Syrian counterparts with advanced education.
PT worked diligently to find a partner to fulfill this effort. The VIP.fund, a youth-focused venture philanthropy fund, invests in youth programs and startups; promoting education and innovation through technology. Project Turquoise in partnership with VIP.fund, committed to support 5 Syrian Refugees residing in a refugee camp in Jordan to attend University of Jordan. We worked closely with VIP.fund, to go through a selection process of Syrian refugee high school students who built campaigns on VIP.fund’s edSeed crowdfunding platform. After posting their campaigns, they joined online weekly webinars that completed their university education. Students showed commitment to education, academic excellence, and the pursuit of a life of independence and dignity. The students committed to raise funds partial funds, and attend VIP.fund webinars and workshops while getting educational subsidies from PT.
Four years have passed. PT sponsored students have shown much resilience and persistency throughout the past few years. They pushed forward through challenges such as limited internet connectivity, family obligations, after hour jobs to support their extended families, impact of COVD and remote learning, and many others that maybe beyond any of us can imagine. We are proud to report to you that our sponsored students have either finished their studies or are close to the finish line. Through our team’s commitment and your generous contribution, they are now presented with life options they could not imagine as a resident of a refugee camp. In this blog, we would like to share their stories and how your support of them changed their lives.
Ziad has lived in Camp Zaatari since 2012 with his family. When possible, he found time to go to school and not give up his dream of working with numbers. He has consistently scored high in math and is usually in the top 5 percentile. He is an avid soccer player with 18 medals under his belt and an MVP goalie award. Ziad is well recognized for his artistic ability as well. Throughout his studies, he was mentored by Forough Yazdani and Marjan Ehssasi Horst and paired up with PT youth members, Cyrus Horst.
If you’d like to support Ziad, please visit his crowdfunding website on edseed and directly make a tax deductible donation on the website to her.
Below, you will find in his words what PT’s commitment and your generous support has meant to him.
“Hi, my name is Ziad al-Radi, I am 22 years old, and I currently live in Zaatari camp. My family consists of 6 people – my father, my mother, my brother, a sister who is married, and a sister who is at the university specializing in Interior Design. My father does not work, as he has a chronic disease. My mother and my older brother work with the UNHCR. I am not currently studying, as I have graduated with a bachelors degree in accounting. My GPA is 70.8. I have a talent for drawing characters with charcoal and lead.
I currently work in selling sweets. I am trying to secure travel expenses in order to seek asylum in Europe. There, I hope to obtain a degree in Drawing. My academic mentors, Miss. Marjan and Miss. Laily, have been greatly supportive. One day I hope to support students for education.”
Mariam has lived in Camp Zatarri for refugees in Jordan since 2012 with her parents and some of her brothers and sisters. Her family was separated during displacement.
She enrolled at Zarqa university in 2020. Mariam said When I was still in grade school, I remember being asked what I like to be when I grow up. I said I want to be a doctor or pharmacist. I wanted to be able to take care of my mother.
Throughout her studies, she was mentored by Salma and Roxanna Hakimi and paired up with PT youth members, Tara Kimiavi and Sophie Horst
If you’d like to support Maryam, please visit her crowdfunding website on edseed and directly make a tax deductible donation on the website to her.
Below, you will find in her words what PT’s commitment and your generous support has meant to her.
“Hello, my name is Maryam Nuseirat, I am 22 years old and of Syrian nationality. I live in Zaatari camp with my family, which consisting of my father, sister, and brother. My father is not working at the moment, but I think the situation will be better after I graduate and get a job. I am studying Pharmacy and am at the end of my third year at Zarqa University. I had an interest in studying this since it combines sciences, diseases and chemistry.
Project Turquoise not only supported the continuation of my educational career, but I believe that it added to my love of striving to support and help people to reach what they want. I believe that the support of Project Turquoise has pushed me to strive every day to be better both academically and socially. One of my messages to them is, “My great thanks, because they have become part of my beautiful memories and I am grateful to them because they are among the people who made our lives better.”
I believe that the Project Turquoise is an organization that deserve to remain for many generations. It believes in the capabilities of people and thus creates a lot of happiness, success, and change for the better for many people.
My goal after graduation is to be a successful woman and help my father to get a better standard of living. I want to be able to help people on a healthy level and provide them with necessary advice. I can support and help many students.”
Dania has lived in Camp Zatarri for refugees in Jordan since 2012 with her mother and siblings. Her father did not leave Syria. She has been in school at the camp and has taken on activities supported by NOGs such as social impact plays, computer training, and remedial educational training. Throughout her studies, she was mentored by Hedy Behbehani and paired up with PT youth members, Hanna Yazdani.
If you’d like to support Dania, please visit her crowdfunding website on edseed and directly make a tax deductible donation on the website to her.
Below, you will find in her words what PT’s commitment and your generous support has meant to her.
“Hi I’m Dania. My family consists of seven members. My mother is the only breadwinner for us while my father is in Syria. My mother is a great woman, she’s faced many hardships to protect us and to keep us a loving family in light of the circumstances we have gone through. We are a friendly and affectionate family. For me, my family is a source of strength, support, impulsiveness, and passion for life.
I study Pharmacy. I study to increase my knowledge and culture, as well as to benefit and strengthen myself to be a distinguished person. I always say that grades do not indicate the effort that is being made, so I do not measure my grades as evidence of my information and effort. I am proud of myself for the amount of information I have learned.
When I graduate, I will have hands on training at pharmacies and gain more experience in my field. As we know, there are always updates of medicines, materials, and diseases. I will work and strive to have a strong CV. I will get certificates such as, the International Computer Driving License Certificate. There is a plan for me to complete my Master’s Degree. I also want to develop myself in the field of drawing. This is something I discovered later that I am very good at. I especially love to draw eyes.
Project Turquoise’s support was a beacon of hope in my life, not only has it supported me financially, but it’s provided moral support to me. We are refugees, and the majority of us do not have the expenses necessary to complete our studies. This is the cause of an obstacle in many students, as that they are not in school, they lose hope. PT is my family, I respect and love all of its members. I always pray for them. My mother and I now and always will see them as the greatest thing to have happened to me.
Mrs. Pasha Hakimi, Hedy Esfahanian and Arianna Soltan have been my biggest supporters. I’d want them to know, “If I had the opportunity to repeat my experience with them, I wouldn’t hesitate, it was one of the most beautiful things that happened to me. I am grateful for them and to to know them, as they were very close friends from the heart. I miss them very much and I miss our memories together. I miss when we would sing, We Are the Champions, and we played, drew, and painted together. It was one of the most beautiful days.”
The financial, moral, and psychological assistance PT has given to me is invaluable. I would love to help others and provide assistance to those in need. I want to work and strive to achieve more successes in my life and to help other students.”
Ammar has being living in Camp Zaatari with his family. One of his brothers passed the college entrance exam but could not attend due to lack of funding. Ammar ahs beeng attending school at the camp and working. His hard work and involvement in extra curriculum activities have been recognized. Throughout his studies, he was mentored by PT adults and paired up with PT youth members, Alexander Soltany.
If you’d like to support Ammar, please visit his crowdfunding website on edseed and directly make a tax deductible donation on the website to her.
Below, you will find in his words what PT’s commitment and your generous support has meant to him.
Hello, I am Ammar Ghaleb Almasri. I’m 20 years old and I live with my family in Zaatari camp, My family consists of seven people, two of whom have recently traveled in search of better opportunities to develop the standard of living for us and for them.
I am studying Nursing at Zarqa University, with a GPA of 77.8%. I studied this major because I prefer medical majors and because nursing includes broad areas of work and promising opportunities. After graduation, I aspire to complete the Master’s program in nursing in the available majors. Through my educational experience at the university and practical through clinical training, I have become more inclined towards the academic side of the major. I aspire to work in this specialty as a faculty member.
PT’s support for me was sufficient enough to lift me up and instill hope in me for a better life to come. It was my pleasure to be monitored by Forough Yazdani. My message to them is that,
‘I am grateful to them. Without their support, I wouldn’t know where my fate would lead me.”
PT has taught me that any good deed will make a change for someone. I will be an agent for change in community in the future by providing assistance in the various ways that I can.
Inas has lived in Camp Zattari. She has not stopped going to school and has been active in activities offered by NGOs at the camps. She is a Tae Kwon Do champion, loves photography, and engineer. She is now interested in becoming an English major with focus on Psychology, Accounting, or Sociology. Throughout her studies, she was mentored by Laily Zia and paired up with PT youth members, Tara Zia and Lilly Behbehani.
If you’d like to support Inas, please visit her crowdfunding website on edseed and directly make a tax deductible donation on the website to her.
Below, you will find in her words what PT’s commitment and your generous support has meant to her.
“Hi I’m Enas and I’m from Syria.
I am seeking a graduate degree in English Language and Literature and is enrolled at Zarqa University. Higher education is a big dream for most girls. Yet to many, it is a dream so hard to achieve even under normal circumstances. To be a woman, a refugee and to get to college is impossible. Young girls in refugee camps are often forced into early marriages even if their families were supportive. The pressure around them is unbearable. I do not want to be in a position where I have to give up my dream. Most women give up their dream because of the challenges. Not me. When and if I get married, I want to be an educated woman to make a difference in my family’s life.
While at school, I volunteered in many activities. I was assistant to the Korean Tae Kwon Do coach and provided interpretation between the students and the Korean coaches. I also did peer to peer tutoring. My friends used to tell me that I am good at explaining difficult topics. I love photography, martial arts (Tae Kwon Do) and writing.
Education is a potent weapon in the hands of women. Once educated, nobody can take their dreams away. Education is a sheild that protects women from exploitation. Educated women become more confident and are free to build their future as they want it. It strengthens women in the face of “arrogant” and domineering societies.
I was so lucky to get the PT scholarship with the help of edSeed. I am glad they have opened the first door for me to pursue my dream. “
