For the day, we had a number of items adorning our table to attract people to our stand including canvas bags created by the refugee women such as Baida in our centres. In addition, we had postcards featuring artwork drawn by Fida Alwaer, one of the teachers at our school. We invited the students of ULB to write their messages of hope on the postcards for our students in Lebanon.

We received a number of heartwarming messages from the students in French, English, Arabic and Italian reflecting the melting pot that is Brussels. The one thing that did not differ was the message in the postcard: the message of hope.

‘N’abandonnez jamais vos reves’

‘Keep believing’

‘Il faut garder d’espoir’

Thank you to the students of ULB for their messages of hope. We will be sending these to our youth in Lebanon.

Interested in volunteering with SB OverSeas in Lebanon? Click here to find out more about our program.

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After meeting the volunteers and youth, we headed not too far away to the observatory. It was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the day. There were a number of interactive activities planned offering the visitors an interactive learning experience such as seeing how sunscreen protects the skin from UV rays.

One of the main aims of SB Espoir is to promote a positive outlook for the youth and expose them to the wide variety of career paths available. Whilst most of the youth who came along with us on Saturday were interested in the activities on the day, one youth showed a particular interest in the subjects of astronomy and climatology, asking for a copy of the questionnaire disseminated to the groups for later reference.

This, albeit small, example shows the influence of these projects – it is possible that this questionnaire is now a crumpled up paper ball in his bag, but it is also possible that is has lead him to learn more about the subject. This possibility is what fuels SB Espoir and its volunteers alike. The possibility that one of our activities opened the door to another possible future for these youth.

SB Espoir is a weekend volunteering program with unaccompanied minors living in asylum centres in and around Brussels. Read our other articles about our volunteers and our training day. 

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However, for many girls living in Lebanon as refugees, the reality of marriage is drastically different. As opposed to me, where perhaps my future husband will ask my father for my hand in marriage out of courtesy, ultimately the decision as to whom and when I marry will be mine. Many Syrian refugee girls do not have this choice. Forced into marriage at a young age, some even as young as thirteen, they are pulled out of their childhood and thrusted into the world of a mother and a wife.

You may have read the story of Yosser, who was married at the age of 12 and the story of Lamis, a 17 year old who is referred to as the divorced lady. Now we have released a comic called ‘Just Married’ to tell the stories that we hear far too often from our work on the ground in Lebanon.

COMIC – Created by Felix Brassier.

Read more of our stories from the ground here.

The post Just Married – Stories of Child Marriage in Syrian Refugee Camps appeared first on Brussels Express.

Five years later, what began as a small endeavour to help those in need, culminated in three schools and women centres in Lebanon, as well as integration and inclusion projects with unaccompanied minors in the Belgian asylum centres.

One of her main aims is to provide the women tools to regain control in their own lives. With approximately one in every five refugee’ households in Lebanon being led by a women, Louma was determined to equip these women with the necessary skills to provide a stable and secure environment for them and their children. With this in mind, she set up vocational courses to help the women provide themselves with a modest income. Women like Baida were able to explore their almost forgotten dreams of becoming a fashion designer and women like Fatima had a reason to « leave the tent she lives in and the sadness she feels, and enjoy the company of other women. »

How can you help?

Now we turn to the readers of Brussels Express, after a few years of these courses, the sewing machines are starting to become old and run down. In light of this, we started a new campaign to get 12 sewing machines for each of our 3 centres: a total of 36 sewing machines. So far we have 10 machines. We are looking for suport in this endeavour, if you have a second-hand, please contact us or alternatively you can donate to our gofundme here.

The post Women in Brussels empowering women in Lebanon appeared first on Brussels Express.

Early last Saturday morning, over thirty people from all over Belgium made their way to a small office close to Saint Denis square in Brussels. Why you may ask? Why are these people giving up one of the last sunny Saturdays in Brussels to come sit in an office all day? These people are the new SB Espoir volunteers. What is SB Espoir, you may ask? Well it is a weekend volunteering people that aims to bring together two groups of people living in Belgium: refugee youth living in asylum centres and those living and working in and around Brussels.

By 10.15am, the room was fill with people interested in getting involved with this weekend volunteering program. After a brief introduction on our projects in Lebanon and Belgium, we got to the main theme of the day of the day: SB Espoir. Our new coordinator, Marco described the program in detail outlining the aims for the future. Following this, we had a presentation from both Fedasil and the Belgium Red Cross, our partners, who explained the asylum process in great detail.

Voices of our Volunteers

During a delicious lunch, I had the opportunity to talk to a number of volunteers about their reasons for joining SB Espoir.

Cecilia, one of our longest volunteers, joined us when she moved to Brussels to do a traineeship with the European Commission. As many EU trainees (myself included), she ended up staying in Brussels. For her the reason she has remained with SB Espoir for so long, as with it ‘everyone wins’.

Hamim, who was featured in our #YourDayYourVoice article for World Refugee Day, wherein we asked refugees what the word ‘refugee’ meant to them, talked from the heart telling the volunteers that their ‘contribution was more valuable than you know’. His experience of having gone through the asylum procedure, meant he knew first-hand how important it was to have the break from the monotony of the centre, especially for the youth.

For Aizhan, known as the volunteer with a smile always on her face, made the simple point that ‘they are just kids’. Treat them as you would if they were your niece or nephew.

Plans for the next year with SB Espoir

‘Lots of sports, hiking and being outdoors, and some cultural events,’ according to Marco, our SB Espoir coordinator. In addition, offering more weekday volunteering in the centres and the possibility of starting our program in a new asylum centre.

For SB Espoir, one of our main aims is to provide the youth with a positive outlook on their future. In light of this, we are incorporating the concept of a ‘role model’ as part of our plans. This would provide the youth with an opportunity to meet people who have been through the asylum process and have become a part of Belgium community, such as Hamim. This will show the youth the possibilities that life in Belgium has to offer.

How you can help

There are a number of ways you can get involved with us. We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to join us on the weekend (and now possibly the week). Secondly, are you or do you know someone who would be open to being a role model for these youth? Let us know! Last but not least, we are always planning exciting activities for the youth, so are you part of a sports team, run artistic workshops or do vocational training, let us know and we can see how we can collaborate.

The post Spending the weekends with Brussels Refugee youth: Part II appeared first on Brussels Express.

The SB Espoir team was invited to gain a deeper understanding of how the centre works on a day-to-day basis. I went, along with one of my friends, Síobhan, who is living and working in the EU bubble and was curious about the day. Read about her experiences below.

Tell us about yourself and why you decided to come to along to the open day?

My name is Síobhan and I moved to Brussels from Ireland last year to work for an Irish MEP. I would have an open mind about migration, but given that most of my work is focused on Irish issues, this topic was something with which I was not overly-familiar. I was curious to see the reality in the centers and also to learn about what was happening outside the European bubble and in the city I actually live in.

What impression did you have of the center?

I was impressed by the tour we did around the center and the willingness of the staff to answer a number of my questions. As its an observation and orientation centre, that is to say, the first centre the minors arrive in when they are found on the territory of Belgium, I was happy to see that the youth were provided with a structured routine including lessons and occasional outings to museums – dependent on funding. I also was impressed at the dedication of the staff, who wore a number of different hats – councilor, teacher, chef and many others.

And the youth?

The resilience of the youth left a mark on me. They were full of life which is remarkable considering the ordeals they have been through. Young teenager boys jostling for the mic at the afternoon activity so they can rap and show off their dancing skills, but also realising on the same hand, it is these youth whose trauma follows them to Belgium as evident by the stories from the staff of repetitive nightmares.

How did your perception change due to this event?

The experienced reinforced my beliefs and has also encouraged me to take action on a personal level by volunteering on the weekends in the centres. Everyone can do a little bit if they so wish and it is through these open days and volunteering opportunities that one can help out, even for just an afternoon a week.

Read about what our SB Espoir volunteers have to say about volunteering in Brussels with refugee youth. If you are interested in volunteering, SB OverSeas is having a training day this Saturday in Brussels. Join us at SB Espoir where you could find yourself one weekend exploring Brussels by bike, or doing a photography workshop or following week pretending to be Beckham playing soccer in the park.

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From Mandela to Malala, young people have always been at the forefront of changing the status quo. We are living in a world which is increasingly faced with huge social challenges, from climate change, to displacement, to poverty to child marriage. However, more and more young people are becoming mobilised to ensure not that their parents leave a better world for them, but they themselves are an active part in securing such a world.

Shahm is one such youth. Born in Belgium to Syrian parents, Shahm spent most of his fifteen years working alongside his mother, the founder of SB OverSeas, a Brussels-based organisation working to provide aid, education and empowerment programs to displaced people. How did he spend his summer break? In Lebanon, volunteering with refugees.

How did he find it? As many of our other volunteers who go to Lebanon to teach, he did not realise ‘how this trip was going to make him grow and broaden his horizons.’

He spent his time assisting in the classroom by helping teach Arabic. After class, he played outside with the children and youth of the camp allowing him to ‘create a relationship with the children’.

When our container arrived filled with clothes and other materials arrived from Brussels. Shahm helped with unloading it and the distribution between the three centres. In Saida, he spent two days organising and sorting the clothes, before doing distributions to the different families in the camp.

Coming back to Brussels, his interest in volunteering with refugee youth was reignited. He is determined to spend his weekends in the asylum centre doing activities with the refugee youth as part of SB Espoir.

His final thoughts on the experience: “It is priceless when we see the smile on the face of a child that is happy to learn new things.”

The post Lebanon through the eyes of Belgian youth appeared first on Brussels Express.

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The letter I share below, is just one story of one man’s journey.

His name? Abd Alkafe Mohammad. He is a teacher in our school in Beirut where we provide ‘catch-up’ education for those children who are at risk of becoming a ‘lost generation’.

Journey of a Syrian man

“I know that you are tired and that the darkness around your eyes is a dove floating everyday around a holy shrine.”

Oh my beloved mother, they asked me to write and when I started writing you were the first one who came to my mind. As they say, the mother is the home…

My name is Abd Alkafe Mohammad and I am Syrian. I was born in Al-Jazira on the Euphrates river and graduated from the University of Damascus in 2014 with a degree in Political Science. Forced by this cursed war to leave my country along with many other families and sons of this nation.

My destination was Turkey. I made it across the border. I arrived in Istanbul keeping in mind that I must rebuild my life here despite the many difficulties. Within two months many things had changed and I had to return to Syria. My plan was to take the rest of my family to Jordan. We all met in al-Raqqa and at dawn we made our way across the desert towards the Syrian-Jordanian border. The trip lasted until the dawn of the following day. I was not aware of the situation waiting for us and I was shocked on arrival. The area was an arid desert with people hiding in tents made of the cloth of handmade blankets. We had to wait long for our turn to enter Jordan.

The first day, we built our small tent and for the first time in my life, I felt responsible for the security and safety of my family. The situation was tragic in all its aspects, from the food, to water, to medicines. There was no medicine for sick people.

That is the curse of war! Once, somebody described this war as “a test to our humanity, a test we must not fail!”. My only strength in that moment was the forbidden book I had smuggled from the eyes of Daesh (ISIS). This book, ‘The Forty Rules of Love’ was my only friend whilst I was in the desert. I will never forget the comfort it gave me in the desert.

I remember all the times I cried because of what I had seen: a child dying from lack of medical treatment, a woman in labour pains giving birth behind dusty curtains with other women surrounding her and another woman collecting the scraps of bread gathered by mice. She would wash the bread, dry it in the sun so she could feed the mouse and her children. Oh my God, everything was cruel… the expansiveness of the desert, the sandstorms, the stones on the harsh ground, the faces of people burned by the sun… everything everything!

Three months passed by and after being sick, it was our turn to join the blue camp. That was not better than the previous camp except that you received food and water. It was a large prison made of metal, not helping with the heat of the summer or the cold of winter. Leaving the camp was forbidden…

We stayed there for eight months until one of my brothers in Jordan managed to get us out of the camp. I was released from the grips of death. We decided to move to Amman. Exhausted by the desert, I had lost the taste for life and was left feeling hopeless. Some dreams seemed too far from me and I could not see any light in my future.

Amman was a city, despite its beauty, that fed on its inhabitants and made them tired. As soon as I arrived there, I realised I could not stay there for long. I accompanied my family to my brother who had been living there for a while and spent one whole month in Amman. I managed to repay some of my debts and get a passport. Returning to Turkey was impossible. Reaching other destinations was also as impossible as I needed money that I did not have. The only solution was to move to Beirut. Determined, I booked my ticket, packed my small bag with only a few clothes and some books. That’s all I have!

I got to know Beirut. A city which sees you as a refugee with empty pockets but full of thoughts. Despite it all, I am still standing on my feet….yes, I do not have anything, only my will is still there…

Seven months have passed since I arrived in Beirut. I am now a member of SB OverSeas, which focuses on providing education to refugees without asking for anything in return. I have seen a team putting humanity at the top of its priorities and that has rolled up its sleeves to rebuild the Syrian humanity which has been shred by the war.

If life is not full of challenges, then what is it?

Mother, I hope you recover soon. I will keep thoughts of you in my heart.

Family, the moment I am able to support you, I will not hesitate to do so.

(You! Far from my sight, but close to my heart. I know you are waiting for me and I promise you I will do all my best so that we can be under one roof).

Beirut, 21 July 2018.

Abd Al-Kafe Mohammad

Originally translated from Arabic.

SB OverSeas provides education and empowerment programs to refugees living in Lebanon. Click on our website to find out more.

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