Alsama Project
We support the Alsama project for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Thanks to the kind donations received via raffles at our annual tournament, the Atkinson Cup, last year we donated €2000.
Alsama was founded in 2020 as a response to the needs of 40 teenagers in Lebanon who were determined to escape child marriage and forced labour. They longed for an education in a place where no schools were open to them.
The co-founders – from Syria, Britain and Germany, along with our ‘fifth’ co-founder – the students themselves – opened their first education centre in a refugee camp in Beirut. Alsama was born.
In just six years, one centre became four, serving 950 young refugees and displaced teenagers. Ninety percent of Alsama’s students, aged 12 to 18, arrive illiterate and innumerate. Six months later, the majority can read, write and calculate. From Arabic to Art, English to Employability Skills, Maths to Competitive Sports, our students study a holistic programme that they themselves co-created.
Today, our programme has won international awards, and Alsama has become a disruptor in refugee education, with a transformative model that takes students from illiteracy to university readiness in just six years.
At Alsama, they believe in the power of sport to transform lives.
Their cricket programme offers a pathway towards developing life skills, as well as a source of hope and pride for the young people they serve. Sport not only boosts physical health but also nurtures emotional wellbeing, playing a significant role in enhancing academic performance.
In refugee camps, wide open spaces are a rare luxury, but cricket gives students the chance to enjoy fresh air and physical activity. This in turn supports both mental and physical wellbeing, helping students feel energised and more focused in their studies.
More info here: https://alsamaproject.com/