Alsama Project

Not only will Alsama students receive higher education, but thousands of refugees will too! On World Refugee Day, Cambridge University Press & Assessment announced its collaboration with Alsama, featured in their latest article! We will be working together in the upcoming months to develop a specialized school-leaver exam “the G12++”, like GCSEs and A Levels in the UK, for refugees, aiming to provide equal educational opportunities worldwide. As the UNHCR reports, just 7% of refugees have access to higher education – this is far below the global average of 42%. Our highest group will first take this test in 2026, after which we will be aiming to reach 50,000+ displaced young people every year, supporting displaced youth in emergency contexts around the world. Please support us in our mission to make education accessible to everyone! Click below to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eVFhNypd

Yesterday, our Highest group 'professional 2' had the fortune to attend a British university fair in Hamra with our remarkable COO, Ms. Kadria. The fair aims to assist students with their university choices in the UK regarding their higher education ambitions. They met face-to-face with official representatives from the world’s best universities. Our professional group is the first to take the G12++ exam, which will pave their way to university. The G12++ is a graduation-level test built by education experts around the world and tailored to refugee student contexts. Our innovative curriculum condenses the equivalent of 12-13 years of traditional schooling into just 6 years, and now they are in year four. They still have 2 years to go. Marwa, one of the students who attended the fair, said, 'It was an inspiring journey that filled me with determination to work with triple the effort after learning about the required standards. I now see myself in a place full of thorny trees, with Alsama as my sword. I will cut down all the thorny trees that stand in front of me, no matter how long the road is, because it has an end, and that end will definitely be victory.'

We are thrilled to announce this news, filling us with pride, excitement, and joy!! Our incredible student, Maram, won the Beirut British Ambassador for a Day competition!! Maram had a hectic day shadowing Hamish Cowell, the British Ambassador to Lebanon. From insightful chats with Ambassador Cowell and Mr. Abbas el Halabi, Minister of Education, to engaging discussions on UK support for Syria and Lebanon’s education sector with top officials. Reflecting on her experience, Maram expressed, ‘Spending a day with His Excellency was an amazing opportunity. I learned so much and it inspired me to dream bigger. If I could be an ambassador for a day, who knows, maybe one day I could become a real ambassador, or even a president!’ Congratulations, Maram, we are very proud of you! British Council

We are thrilled to share with you this great news. Very soon, we will be launching our second social enterprise, Alsama Language School, both in person and online classes. Our wonderful teacher Mariam is training two of our students who will be assisting her: Ola from Shatila 1 center and Ola from Bourj 1 center. What is more exciting, there will be a discount for Friends of Alsama (donors, visitors, and former employees). If you want to book your lesson, find out more information about the course or discount, please feel free to contact us at learnarabic@Alsamaproject.com.

Fatima is a 12-year-old in our third educational centre, Shatila 2. After attending her first yoga class, she quickly fell in love with it, which was unusual for her, as her mother had described. “She is always the first one in class, never skipping a session. She insisted on attending daily, in addition to her weekly yoga class, and she always does the poses correctly, assisting me during the class,” said Ms. Nabila. “What makes me even happier is not only her passion for yoga but also her sharing it with others.” She always practices at home with her family, challenging her siblings, and inspiring her little sister, Nirmeen, to request to attend yoga classes after intense insistence from her mother. Nirmeen now attends one class per week with Ms. Nabila.

Alsama Project is hiring! Alsama is an ambitious and innovative NGO which runs education centres for out-of-school refugee teenagers. Students join us illiterate and innumerate; we develop programmes that allow them to catch up on 12 years of missed education within 6 years, readying them to enter mainstream school, university and skilled employment. Please refer to our Job Descriptions for details of specific roles. To apply, please send the following documents to info@alsamaproject.com kadria.hussien@alsamaproject.com CV as a 1-page PDF. Cover Letter outlining how your professional standards align with Alsama’s core values of commitment, collaboration and ambition. 1-min video describing your greatest strength and weakness. For any questions please email info@alsamaproject.com.

Our students are changing the world! In our camping training, our DofE bronze award participants have set three ambitious goals: physical fitness, community service, and learning new skills. They’ve picked activities they care about and that their community needs. From cleaning up and planting to teaching others, our volunteers are doing amazing things. Take Amal, for example; she’s teaching her mom to read and write! In physical fitness: running 10k without stopping, excelling in playing football and basketball, walking for half an hour, etc. In learning new skills: learning a new language such as Spanish, learning how to play their favorite songs on instruments, participating in a decision-making course. There are so many things they will be learning with our star award leader, Marwa, who is running these great sessions, making sure all the students achieve their goals. Stay tuned for more upcoming news about their progress.

Exciting news from Alsama Studio! Meet Ahed, one of our most dedicated employees. She has been working with us since 2021 and has quickly proven her dedication, despite juggling the responsibilities of being a mother to five children. Alsama Studio didn't have a tailoring machine, so they had to send their work to the tailor, and it took a long time. That annoyed Ahed so much. Then she started to learn how to do it by herself. In a short time, Ahed was able to do what she thought was impossible: create beautiful pieces like the bag showcased in the last photo. “I have many goals; every time I achieve one, I look up to the next challenge. For now, the two goals I am working on are learning how to use the laptop and speaking English fluently to be able to communicate with visitors,” said Ahed. As Ahed became an expert in tailoring, she is now passing on her knowledge to her colleague Mona. Mona shared with us, "The only thing that I want is for people to know that the Alsama Project exists. We hope to create new products, not just embroidery, in order to expand Alsama Studio even further." Alsama Studio is the breadwinner for 50 women, most of whom are mothers of our students. Please spread the word about Alsama Studio and share this post with your family and friends, and join us in creating even more opportunities for women's empowerment and growth.

Sabah’s First Month at Bourj 2: Our newest educational center! Despite facing obstacles, Sabah’s love for learning never faltered. In just one month, she’s shown incredible progress and determination. Join us in supporting Sabah’s journey and empowering more students like her. Together, we can make a difference.

Exciting Opportunity at Alsama: Join Us as Our Awareness Coordinator! Are you passionate about driving positive change and raising awareness for important causes? Alsama is looking for a dedicated Awareness Coordinator to join our dynamic team! As the Awareness Coordinator, you will lead personal and social development initiatives, aiming to reduce early marriage rates and child labour percentages while enhancing students' academic performance and social skills. Responsibilities include providing guidance to students, offering emotional and social support, developing social skills, and providing career guidance. Collaboration with teachers and families is essential. How to Apply: Interested in joining our team? Please submit your resume and a cover letter to kadria.hussien@alsamaproject.com. Attached, you will find the detailed job description for more information. Application Deadline: By April 14th. Join us in our mission to create a brighter, more compassionate future for all.