Our Stories

FIELD UPDATE It’s our pleasure to introduce the next generation of Prof. Saeed’s family. Rozha has volunteered with us for most of our years and is now on our teaching staff. Saeed has always been “tough and straight” with regard to her. “She gets no leniency, she is as everyone else, no favours and no discounts. In the world of education and employment, she stands alone; she is not my daughter.” And thus it has been. The famous apple has not fallen far from the tree; she is

FIELD UPDATE Hello dear friends, I am Salam, the Director of the Springs of Hope Art Academy. I have been with Springs of Hope since the start of our journey here and have taught over 1,200 students. I found myself touching up our logo on our blue entrance gates this week. Our logo carries our identity as we serve our communities, both in the camp and those who come from the village. As I was painting, several of the tent dwellers approached me and began to chat, asking as ma

FIELD UPDATE We have a Sarah (Hebrew means Mother of Nations). She is the Hope Medical Clinic’s oldest patient, being 106. Her life is somewhat parallel to that of the biblical Sarah, inasmuch as her years on this earth have been somewhat barren, with pain written across her story. She is but one of the many patients we visit weekly or more in the camp. As our team goes in every weather condition, the relentless rain and hail of this past month, and the scorching heat that wi

FIELD UPDATE “Once a king or queen of Narnia, always a king or queen of Narnia. May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the heavens.” – C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Kristina is unforgettable. She came to us at 12 years old after five long years in the captivity of ISIS in Syria. Whilst alone, separated from her family, she dreamed dreams. She dreamed of a lion, a lion that came to her in many a dark night and told her that the day would co

There isn't much of a formal update this week. Things are heavy on the ground right now, and it has been hard to stay focused due to all of the regional conflict. We'd rather tell you that plainly than pretend otherwise. But here is what we keep coming back to: In war, we look for peace. In turmoil, we look for life, hope, and future. This week, we found it in something small and ordinary. New ducklings, goslings, and chicks have been born here at the foundation. Life pressin

This week we will turn our attention to some of our more vulnerable students and show you the place that Springs of Hope plays in their life and that of their family. We have many families with complicated issues that are beyond our control and jurisdiction. One of the fallouts of August 3, 2014 was that many normal fathers, loving, gentle, working, became either schizophrenic or bipolar within a short space of time as they witnessed atrocities being done to their wives and

Indeed it is our prayer that a new day, Newroz, will dawn over this entire region, the region that one day will be the highway that is described in Isaiah 19, a highway of peace between nations that are currently enemies. All Newroz activities have been formally and officially cancelled by the government as regional escalation invades our area. We would value your prayers for the region and all who live here as we have once again become a front line. We held a very small and

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10. The key here, of course, is that in a time of incomprehensible suffering and loss, Job prayed for his friends. In March 2019 an overloaded ferry capsized and sank whilst crossing the Tigris River in Federal Iraq. About 100 drowned, mostly women and children. A day of mourning was called to commemorate the tragedy, and in plain speaking, many in the Ye

About 2 years ago we reached out to the local orphanage and brought them into our world. It has been a wonderful friendship and journey together, changing the lives of those entrusted to them, and incorporating them into several of our programmes with the hope and prayer that we would play a small part in building restorative memories for them. This week we share a letter of thanks that we received from them, which, yes, in these hard days, filled our hearts with joy. Here at

Theologian Henri Nouwen has said: “In this world we have become so accustomed to creating a division between ‘us’ and ‘them’ that we often fail to see that ‘they’ are also ‘us.’” Auntie Kani is a fixture; she is like a well-worn piece of our furniture. Much loved and totally at home. She visits the Medical Clinic every day more for social connection than anything else, then drops into the office to chat and then to the kitchen for hot milk, and the garden for veggies. Auntie

I was recently approached by an academic team requesting my participation in research concerning the psychological treatment and care for child soldiers and raped girls post release/rescue from ISIS. My response was that I would not be a “good participant.” A worthy source of information, yes, but my contribution would not be welcomed or academically respected. It would be this: Love Wins. Tool boxes of CBT are useful but Love Wins . I am sure some are sighing right now at m

Truly God bless our broccoli. Or as Bashiq said: “This is not just a vegetable; this is hope growing from the soil. The land itself is special and holds many memories.” Or as another friend termed it, “Bombastic Broccoli.” All of you know that I am unswayable in my conviction that we tend a tiny portion of what once was the Garden of Eden, and reap its benefits and blessings. This week we will open a window into extravagant blessing. Why broccoli, you may ask - particularly