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“Master of My own Destiny”
A group of teens from DC area high schools, part of a nonprofit called Project Turquoise (PT), traveled to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan during the summer of 2018. They had spent the previous year raising awareness of the refugee crisis amongst their peers; and had raised funds, through 5K runs and movie screenings, to provide sports equipment and shoes for kids at Zaatari. They planned projects they would do with their Syrian friends, from science experiments to sports to photography – but were likely not prepared for the overwhelming impact that these few days together would have on them. The kids formed strong bonds – painting a massive mural together with Project Turquoise emblazoned in bright yellow; learning words and expressions in each other’s language; singing “We Are the Champions” together; playing endless soccer games in the blazing June sun; simply being, teenage kids. Their last day, they went on a hike; for many of the Syrian teens it was the first time they had seen trees in years, and they would stop to take pictures. The kids took selfies, exchanged WhatsApp numbers and small gifts, and the boys, hand in hand, did the traditional Syrian dabke dance, as Arabic music played from their phones. When it was time to say goodbye, the hugs were long, the emotions ran deep, and the tears flowed freely. One of the PT teens summed it up this way, “You expect them to be different, but in so many ways they are so similar to you. The kindness and grace and dignity they show you is amazing; I can’t even believe that people who have lost so much can still smile so much.”
The Project Turquoise kids were determined not to let the few days with their friends at Zaatari refugee camp be the end of this story. They decided to raise funds for college scholarships for their new friends; and as soon as they got back to DC, got busy planning fundraisers. The kids at Zaatari took their tawjihi college entrance exams, submitted applications, and poured their dreams into heartfelt essays. Four Syrian teens, two boys and two girls, were selected, with EdSeed, an organization that facilitates scholarships for refugee students, overseeing the process. The essays the Syrian teens submitted provide a brief glimpse into their courage, tenacity, resilience, and character. One shared that he wants to study nursing because he “wants to feel good about healing others”; and that if he were to graduate from college, he would be the first person in his family to do so. Another wrote that in Syria he had nine close friends and they had pledged to be friends for life. But two drowned while attempting to escape to Europe, three died of cancer, four were involved in a car accident, himself included, and only he survived. “I would like to fulfill this dream for all of us, in their honor,” this 18 year old hero wrote. Another has been living at Zaatari for seven years and talked about the harsh conditions, like continuous power outages, which makes studying difficult. She said her mother is her source of strength and wants to honor her sacrifices by studying hard, becoming a pharmacist, and becoming “the master of my own destiny.” Another shared her dream of becoming a computer engineer and her love for Tae kwon do and photography. “Education is potent weapon in the hands of women; once educated nobody can stop our dream,” she wrote.
Over Thanksgiving 2019, our Project Turquoise (PT) kids got a chance to Skype with their four Syrian friends who had started college on the scholarships. On a large screen, images popped up, in 9 boxes (like the Brady Bunch ) of the four Syrian teens at Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan; of three EdSeed organizers in different US cities; of our group of 25 or so PT kids and parents sitting in a room in Virginia; and one PT member who had to head back to college as a snow storm was approaching, but managed to get a connection on his phone as he trudged through a blizzard, bundled in layers of hats and scarves, snow filling the bottom right corner of our screen. Technology is incredible. The kids exchanged news, asked about their other Zaatari friends, and about their experiences at college and their favorite subjects. Zayd asked his friend Ziad, with whom he had played endless games of soccer at Zaatari, if he was playing in college and what position he plays. Ziad asked PT member Alex if he still speaks Arabic, and Alex responded in Arabic, to everyone’s excitement. PT teen Yassi shared with Dania that she too is studying chemistry and asked for tips as Dania is doing well in the subject. The Syrian teens shared how proud and supportive their parents are of them for starting college, despite the challenges of living in a refugee camp. Our PT kids suggested setting up a WhatsApp group so they could tutor each other in subjects that they are each strong in. Then, Dania pulled a white kitten onto her lap and asked, “do you like cats??” Her cat’s name is Candy, and she’s 5 years and 26 days old. The kids melted in oohs and ahhs, and the story continues ….
#humanKINDbySalma
Author: Salma Hasan Ali
Mission for Smiles
One of the major impacts Project Turquoise wants to make in our own local community is to help displaced families when it comes to their lack of dental care. So many people who live in the Metropolitan area do not have access to dental care and suffer from dental infection and pain as a result. With the help and partnership of centers such as Cornerstones in Reston, which helps people build more stable lives, we are able to serve this population and provide them some dental health support.
We decided to do a couple screenings at the Cornerstones shelter with our volunteers and found there to be many patients in need of dental care services. We met families from Afghanistan who are currently seeking asylum, and families from El Savador and Peru, all of whom are trying to build a new life in the United States. After meeting these people, we set up the mission at Pediatric Dentistry of Reston and Reston Family and Cosmetic Dentistry on Saturday, September 28th. An incredible team of dentists and specialists volunteered their time to come and help these patients. Without their commitment and service, our mission would not be possible. All supplies & costs were donated by dentists & dental vendors in the area.
Not only did our volunteers help us that day, but they are also committed to provide comprehensive treatment to a few patients who desperately need it. One 18-year-old man named Fasil was devastated to learn we need to extract one of his molars but knew it had to be done to alleviate his pain. Dentists on our team worked together to create a comprehensive care plan to save another molar by providing a free root canal and crown for him. This would be done on another day, as the oral surgeon was extracting infected permanent teeth on most of our patients, but Fasil was elated that we provided a solution to protect his teeth in the long-term. Although it is heartbreaking to extract any permanent teeth, we know this if often the only option since most could not afford dental care. Our pediatric dentists also worked with the younger patients. Many of the children were very nervous and had never seen a dentist before, but after learning more about the procedures, eventually let them treat the teeth that needed it the most and did amazing despite their initial apprehension!
We ended up providing over $35K worth of free dental services in that one day. Our team was inspired and our patients were so grateful. We hope to continue our vision to serve an immediate need in our community as well as abroad. For more information on our causes, please visit our website.
Project Turquoise Impact-Last 12 months
Project Turquoise raised over $100,000 in 2018 with our largest funds coming in via our fundraising event held in September 13, 2018 where we had Senator Mark Warner as our keynote speaker. Since then, our team of volunteers have worked diligently to ensure that we deliver supplies and services to families in need all over the world.
We are proud to report how the funds have impacted people globally:
Healthcare Support for Venezuelans displaced in Colombia and Venezuela in partnership with Project Hope – $42,726
Project Turquoise contributed $42,726 towards Project HOPE’s programs dealing with Venezuelans displaced in Colombia and Venezuela. We were able to:
- Hire 2 physicians (1 GP and and 1 OBGYN) for 6 months, to work from Jorge Cristo Sahium and HUEM hospitals.
- Hire 1 Nurse.
- Diagnose, treat, and provide necessary medications to 5,760 patients, mostly women and children.
- Deliver 156 healthy babies.
- Provide Health Education sessions to 1,850 expectant mothers.
- Donate medicines include: Acetaminophen, Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Cephalexin, Ciprofloxacin, Diclofenac, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen.
- Contribute $17,100 in healthcare services and $25,752 in medicines and medical supplies.
Support of youth Syrian refugees in Lebanon – $10,000
Project Turquoise Youth Committee ventured to Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, located near the Syrian border, this past June 2019 for a different service exchange experience in order to continue working with Syrian refugees. In partnership with nonprofit Art of Hope, which focusses on the mental health of displaced people, and NGO MAPS (Mulit Aid Programs), which provides much needed services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the weeklong mindfulness camp gave the PT Youth Committee and Syrian youth a chance to collaborate on health, mindfulness, hopes, and dreams for their future. The unique friendships they formed in such a short period of time shows the resilience and warmth that these kids possess. The exchange provided a much needed respite for the refugee youth who often struggle with a safe and welcoming haven to spend their days. Funds and laptops were donated to support the good work of MAPS and AOH, as well as t-shirts, friendship bracelets, books, journals, hugs, and hope for the Syrian youth. It is important to note that all volunteers travelling to this service trip paid for their own travel expenses in order to ensure funds raised by PT will be benefiting the beneficiaries directly.
Project Turquoise Education Fund (PTEF) – Support educational needs of 2 exceptionally strong Syrian refugees college funds- $34,000
Project Turquoise in partnership with EdSeed, will be supporting educational needs of a few Syrian refugees who graduated with honors. PT worked closely with EdSeed to go through a selection process of Syrian refugees high school students that applied to our program and showed commitment to education, academic excellence, and pursue of a life of independence and dignity. Look for more information on the status of this fund allocation in the coming weeks when our team completes its selection effort.
Project Turquoise Healthcare Program – Dental Support –Performed by our team of volunteers
Project Turquoise is thrilled to expand their local outreach with the growing support of our Project Turquoise volunteer dentists. The dental team had to two dental screenings for free dental work at Cornerstones in Reston on September 13th & on September 15th at Pars Place. A “Mission for Smiles” free dental mission is planned at Pediatric Dentistry of Reston on September 28th to help these families who face significant obstacles & do not have access to medical & dental care. If interested in getting involved or donating to our dental missions, please check out our website.
Project Turquoise Youth Committee – September 2019 Update
After a successful service trip to Jordan in June 2018 to Camp Za’atari with Relief International, the Project Turquoise Youth Committee ventured to Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley located near the Syrian border this past June 2019 for a different service exchange experience in order to continue working with Syrian refugees. In partnership with nonprofit Art of Hope, which focusses on the mental health of displaced people, and NGO MAPS (Mulit Aid Programs), which provides much needed services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the weeklong mindfulness camp gave the PT Youth Committee and Syrian youth a chance to collaborate on health, mindfulness, hopes, and dreams for their future. The unique friendships they formed in such a short period of time shows the resilience and warmth that these kids possess. The exchange provided a much needed respite for the refugee youth who often struggle with a safe and welcoming haven to spend their days. Funds and laptops were donated to support the good work of MAPS and AOH, as well as t-shirts, friendship bracelets, books, journals, hugs, and hope for the Syrian youth. We are thankful to AOH and MAPS for their hospitality during our stay in Lebanon. We look forward to collaborating together in the future.
The PT Youth Committee is growing and we now have over 15 high schools represented in the DMV area! We continue to raise awareness in schools and our local community regarding the daily struggles refugees experience abroad. We remain committed to raising funds for educational programs, supplies, and scholarships for displaced people globally.
Stay tuned for our upcoming events this year, such as Busboys and Poets movie nights, International Human Rights Day fundraisers, and our 3rd annual 5K run in the Spring!