Za’atari Youth Center: A Space for Change

September 28, 2015.

On September 15, we officially launched the new Questscope Youth Center in the Za’atari Camp for Syrian refugees in northern Jordan. The Center—whose funders include the UN and the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)—will engage 500 Syrian youth in recreational, educational, artistic/cultural, and psycho-social activities. The entire program has been designed and led by our dynamic team of Syrian volunteers inside the camp.

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Caring for the Other Refugees

September 10, 2015.

via The New York Times 

The world’s attention has been riveted on the refugee crisis unfolding in Europe, and on the shift in Europe as leaders, finally, take steps to deal with it. But one of the reasons Syrians are risking their lives to reach Europe is that life has become unbearable in the countries closer to home where many have taken refuge.

About 12 million Syrians — more than half the country’s prewar population — have been displaced...MORE

Remember Us

September 10, 2015.

This is a reflection written by Nadia Schroeder, daughter of Curt Rhodes, after she visited Zaatari Camp a few weeks ago.

“What would you like Americans to know? What is your message to Americans?” We asked a group of Syrian refugees in the Zaatari Refugee Camp. “Syrians love life.” “And we are fahmaneen,” which means “we are not ignorant, but rather perceptive, cultured, and knowledgeable.”

This was a statement we heard many times throughout the day we spent at Zaatari. “We are not, as many view us, ‘pathetic and uneducated refugees’” one young man in...MORE

Walking the Walk

August 24, 2015.

The transformative influence of a leader is not who she is in her public performance and duty, but who her family and close friends see her to be in private. Walking the walk and not just talking the talk marks the difference between nice words, or transformation. The Questscope family struggles to make sure that we are not just talking, but actually experiencing and sustaining transformation. This is the story of one of our staff who is being transformed. And because of that, her life, who she is, transforms others.

I have always dreaded the days…those moments…when the need to...MORE

Why They Came Back

August 24, 2015.

It was just a routine visit when I attended a class in one of our Non-Formal Education (NFE) centers. I wasn’t really focused on what was happening in the lesson. All my attention was devoted to watching these young children: observing how they talk, react, and smile. This is a group of kids who have seen the worst the world has to offer. Poverty and trauma from the war have made their lives fragile and chaotic, and most are struggling to just survive. Yet they come back to this class each day. I couldn’t help but wonder: why?

The children who attend Questscope’s NFE program have...MORE

Tiny Spark

July 30, 2015.

The Syrian Civil War hit girls especially hard. They should be safe in their own neighborhoods, studying for school and doing things with their friends. Instead, they watched their homes destroyed by rockets and their families torn apart as they fled for safety.     

Refugee families that were loving and stable before the war are fracturing under exhausting daily struggles. The burden on girls to help keep their families together forces them to grow up before they are mature enough to shoulder such responsibility. And they are often kept at home for their...MORE

The Month of Ramadan

July 30, 2015.

The holy month of Ramadan took place this year from June 18 to July 16. The timing of this month of fasting from sunrise to sunset is based on the lunar Muslim liturgical calendar and varies from year to year.

It is marked by a refocus on spiritual life and includes recitations by children of the Holy Quran, much like Christian children reciting memorized Bible Verses in a spelling bee format. Successful "recitees" get certificates of recognition and gifts to encourage them to know and understand their religion. For 28 consecutive evenings, every "break-fast" is a shared meal with...MORE

Me/We and Questscope event to UN

June 23, 2015.

Invisibility and voicelessness are two characteristics that plague refugee populations. The vibrant individual life story is too often obscured once a person has been labeled as a refugee. Questscope is committed to giving a platform to that individual voice and to partnering with organizations who share that same ideal.

About a year and a half ago, Questscope partnered with Me/We Syria. Founded by Mohsin Mohi-Ud Din and funded by the German government, Me/We Syria helps disadvantaged youth narrate their...MORE

It takes a mom

May 18, 2015.

“How can you handle your mentoring work along with caring for your family in the camp?”

“These are also our kids—the kids who will build Syria in the future. So I care about them as I care for my own kids,” said Mariam.

Mariam is a mentoring coordinator for Questscope’s mentoring program in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp—a role that has made her a mother to many.  

Moms are the most powerful beings with the most difficult job ever. It takes tremendous strength to raise a child in normal conditions, but imagine trying to do so in the hard living conditions of...MORE

When a picture speaks a thousand words

May 18, 2015.

When voices can't be heard, photography can cross all cultural and linguistic barriers, to tell a story and reflect the anguish buried inside the hearts and minds of Syrian war refugees, some of whom are traumatized beyond finding word to communicate.

A project called Photo Voice was implemented in a few of our Non-Formal Education centers to give children a chance, beyond words, to be understood.

Photo Voice is a kind of participatory action research that utilizes both images and group dialogue as a way to understand the experience of marginalized or disadvantaged...MORE

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