Al Hakawati (The Storyteller). This title is well known to many Syrians, especially residents of Damascus, whose tradition it is to gather in cafes to listen to the stories narrated by ‘al hakawati.’ These were not just ordinary stories, but stories from history, such...
People leave this world but their souls remain among us, and we feel them through the gifts they left before they passed away. The gifts that Abdullatif Chakaki left were his children, who immortalized his memory through the fund they opened to help refugees complete...
Wheat harvest season in the Syrian countryside is more than an end stage in an agricultural cycle, it is the time when people strengthen their relationships and get to know each other very well. Back in the 1970s, before the introduction of combine harvesters, farmers...
Mansaf is the most distinctive Jordanian dish. It is a traditional food which is served at all occasions, such as weddings, funerals, graduations, and the birth of a new baby. It is also served on holidays; for example, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, and national holidays...
“He found a glimmer of hope in the ruins of disaster…” ~ Gabriel Garcia Márquez / Love in the Time of Cholera The VIP.fund has responded to the coronavirus by organizing remote activities to engage and inspire both refugees and support populations inside and outside...
thought on love: It is Valentine’s Day. On this day we celebrate love in all shapes and forms: love towards family members, friends, colleagues, and children. We celebrate our love of life and show that we are determined to triumph over hardship. I found no better way...
I received a book in the mail: The Jester Has Lost His Jingle. The box had no sender. It was a children’s book… I sat down to read it. It did not take me long to find out who sent it: my dear friend Rama Chakaki.The books we like define us. This is how the story goes:...
Interview details: Moaz Hosny is a breath of fresh air. A hard-working electronics and communication engineering student who fled to Jordan with his family shortly after the conflict started in Syria. Like many Syrians, his family couldn’t afford Jordanian University...
Transforming loss to legacy: two years ago I reached out to pay my respects to Rasha, Ammar Al-Shami’s mother. A few days earlier, I had moved to Boulder Colorado and was looking forward to meeting Ammar. Instead, I found myself dogsitting Ayala, his golden retriever...
Second chances story: Ammar’s fund was created a year after his tragic death on January 11, 2017. The fund honors Ammar’s memory by providing help to refugee students whose lives were disrupted by conflicts in Syria and Palestine. But Ammar’s fund took a life unto its...