I like to stay aware of what’s happening around the world for the millions that are currently displaced and fighting for their lives. In this spirit, I’d like to share two inspiring talks with you that give powerful testimony for why we do what we do.
"I challenge you to find a group of people more allergic to violence and discrimination than refugees.”
Watch this inspiring Tedx talk by Maya Ghazal: Education, Aspiration, Compassion. https://youtu.be/WOtUFi6OjzY
This courageous and well-spoken young woman shares her inspiring personal journey - and asks us to “think about education as being as important as food, water, and safety for refugees.”
I hear her, loud and clear, and I also see the need for long-term solutions for hope and sustainable futures. This is why I started Love Elevates Refugee Relief Network (LERRN). My intention was to start a program that could offer long-term solutions, based on specific needs and desires, and in consultation with, beneficiaries of the program. I believe we are on to something!
Through a partnership with Webster University Athens Campus, Love Elevates Refugee Relief Network pilot program is currently sponsoring 9 students to access university level education, and we have been able to help match 3 additional students with individual sponsors. Our students express immense gratitude and hope, and the faculty of WU thoroughly enjoy the contributions of our diverse student body. By all early indications, the program is offering a pathway to success for 12 individuals who will feel more empowered to forge a rewarding and sustainable future for themselves, their families, and their communities.
**Most essentially, if a small group of individuals can get this off the ground in Athens, it can surely be done in other places around the world.**
If you feel moved to help LERRN keep these students in school, and to offer this hopeful opportunity to as many students as possible in the future, please consider donating or sponsoring a student! We need funds now for the second term of spring semester (starting in March).
Our mission: “We seek to alleviate the suffering of persons displaced by war and other devastating crises. We empower individuals by offering access to higher education, and elevate communities through integration and collaboration.”
Webster University matches our investment!
360 Euro covers one class per undergrad student (with WU matching gift)
615 Euro provides one class for a graduate student (with WU matching gift)
Any amount - regardless how large or how small - gives forward momentum to our program and inspiration for our students.
To donate directly to LERRN:
IBAN: DE79 1001 1001 2623 9102 78
BIC: NTSBDEB1XXX
LERRN Paypal (EU donors): loveelevatesrefugeerelief@gmail.com
USD Paypal (US donors): jenndance40@gmail.com
Please feel free to contact me directly if you’d like to learn more about our program and how you or your community group can sponsor a student.
After you watch Maya’s talk, I hope you’ll take another five minutes to watch this poignant statement given at the World Economic Forum by a Somali refugee who has lived in a camp in Kenya for 20 years. https://youtu.be/ALaiBVuI010
"It surprises me that money and capital moves around the world in seconds. It takes a refugee decades. Or in the case of my mother, she never had a chance to get out, waiting for 25 years for a place to go, to call home. We talk about ethical and sustainable development. We talk about how we can be ethical with robots and machines. We want to solve death. Yet there is so much human suffering. We haven't figured out life yet."
A thousand thank you’s for your ongoing support. It means something. It is making a difference.
With warm regards and in solidarity,
Jennifer Moiles
Founder and Director
Love Elevates Refugee Relief Network
