Walid's Fund

Bringing Job Skills and Hope to Syrian Refugees

We serve survivors of the Syrian Civil War, now trapped in camps in southern Lebanon.  Our goal is to inspire hope by developing  practical job skills among the adults.
With skills, individuals and groups can help each other and begin to earn money by selling services and crafts. Occupational skills bring income and hope for a stable future. Skills bring new confidence in individuals and families. Our remedy is simple, original and is making a difference. Practical job skills across a range of occupations, each with the potential to improve circumstances for the families now and prepare them for the hoped-for return to their homes in Syria. 

We tap innate talent and skills and promote self-reliance and new enterprises within the camps. 

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We Believe Human Spirit is Resilient,
Powerful and Positive even Amid Great Suffering.

Our Journey

Come Take a few Steps with Us and Witness the Change Unfold

July 2016: Taking Account of the Crisis

We surveyed and identified seven camps in South Lebanon that are “aid deserts,” places by-passed by major international relief agencies.  Families including children (one half of the residents are children) have nothing to do but wait for hand-outs delivered by the Lebanese Red Cross.
We worked with the refugee community children through Trauma Release Exercises (TRE)

October 2016: Contemplation of Road Map Ahead

The survey had made it clear that there was a massive need, it had yet to be worked on what will be the best approach to help. We had exploratory meetings with community leaders and the Lebanese Red Cross, that gave us some ideas to look at.

There were further arrangements to be done. Everything was put on paper to see what would it take to make things come alive.  Step by step all arrangements took place and we collected gifts to distribute in the seven refugee camps that were and still are aid deserts.  The hopelessness in these camps was highest as the feeling of "no help is coming for us" was seeping in them and they were sinking in the same.

March 2017: Trauma Healing and Spreading Smiles

We connected with and felt the trauma that Syrian refugees in camps in South of Lebanon were going through.

It was not just financial issues that they were facing. They had been through tremendous amount of disturbances and shocks.

Seeing the amount of trauma that these civil war survivors had been through, our COO, Khaled Jurdi, a certified TRE facilitator came to the camps and provided Trauma Release Exercises to adult men and women in different sessions.

Spreading smiles: In an effort to give some comfort and bring some smiles the community of Syrian Refugees in six camps received school supplies, winter clothing, and gifts with love from American Friends funded by our Chairman, Dr Willard White. Prior of our departure from Lebanon, we met with the Lebanese Red Cross, Disaster Management Unit, at their head office in Beirut and came away with testing a pilot program that will help refugees become more self sufficient through job skills training.

January 2018: Enrolling Refugees in First Vocational Program – Be the Change I

Efforts were made to inform the refugees about the vocational training programs in the six camps with 350 families residing. We wanted their opinion on what skills they want to learn. Hence, we visited each of the six camps and through voting they expressed interest in three different skills: sewing, barbering, and hair-styling. 

The community was hungry for such an initiative and 76 refugees registered for the program to be delivered in May/June 2018.

June 2018: Intensive Vocational Skills Pilot Program Launched

We purchased two tents and placed them in two of the six camps centrally located. We purchased four sewing machines and stored them in one of the tents locked and secured, managed by the Red Cross. The second tent was used for barbering workshop.

​Stage 1 - Two day intensive leadership training for leaders representing six refugee communities. In addition to 11 Red Cross workers getting trained to become future coaches.

Stage 2- Three weeks intensive job skills training program launched.

• 11 red cross workers were trained in coaching skills for scalability.
• 4 trainers teaching the three crafts
• 76 Syrian refugees were trained in job skills between sewing and cloth making, barbering, and hair-styling. ​

October 2018: Be the Change II Enrollment and Preparation for December 2018 Initiative

• Enrolled refugees from the largest Syrian refugee camp in south Lebanon where there are 500 families residing

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• Submitted paperwork to obtain a license to start a twin organization to Walid's Fund in Lebanon to comply with the Lebanese government laws to operate in the country. We have assembled a team of 6 board members.

December 2018: Be the Change II - 3 Weeks Program

• Continued training 11 Red Cross workers to become coaches.
• 89 refugees participated in the training between sewing and cloth making, hairstyling and barbering.
• We re-visited the six camps from our May/June program and learned that at least 20 families are self-sufficient with mini shops opened in the camps and some have employment in the local Lebanese business community.   Others are serving their families and neighbors. 
• As of December 2018, Walid’s Fund has trained a total of 165 Syrian refugees in practical skills with immediate benefits to their camp communities.  

Help Refugees

Help Syrian Refugees Rebuild Their Lives Now!

​Join our movement to encourage self-reliance and motivate community action for a traumatized population.  

Starting May, Walid’s Fund launches community projects in seven camps in southern Lebanon - an area abandoned by other international relief agencies.  Through community organizing and coaching, we will inspire teamwork and train individuals in practical skills like carpentry, barbering, sewing and shoe repair – skills they can use to make money or barter for services within the camps – skills they can take with them when they return to Syria. 

Our May/June mission costs $45K for travel, lodging, instructors, permanent tents, Red Cross vans, and equipment for community projects.

Help us raise critical dollars to return to the camps May 15 for a 36-day period of coaching, community organizing, skills-building and economic development projects.

Be Part of Something Bigger than Yourself.

​Inspire hope for a better future.  Help develop leadership and team-building skills to benefit refugee communities now and in anticipation of rebuilding destroyed communities in Syria in the future.

Let Them Know They are Not Forgotten!

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