KARIM RIDA SAID FOUNDATION - Young Lives Bright Futures

Welcome to the first ever e-newsletter from the Karim Rida Said Foundation!

From now on, we will be sending you this instead of the paper newsletter you may have received previously.

The e-newsletter will feature all the latest news from the Foundation, as well as essential information and links to any new items on the website that we think you should see. There will also be a paper newsletter once a year containing more in-depth articles.

We think there will be something of interest for everyone, and we want you to get involved – so don’t forget we always welcome your comments and contributions! Enjoy reading!

Attention all new scholars!

An especially warm welcome to all our 2007-8 scholars, who are beginning courses at universities all over the UK. We hope you settle in quickly, and of course we wish you all the very best in your studies.

We will be keeping in touch with everyone throughout the year, and there will be several events for scholars to attend. The first of these will be the Scholars’ Lunch on Saturday 24^th November in London. You will all receive invitations nearer the time.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

The 2006 winning design by Asma El Satery, age 15, Palestine Connect (Enlighten)

Annual Drawing Competition:
closing date approaching...

…and it’s 1^st October! The competition is open to children aged 5-18, who are benefiting from the work of any of our current project partners. There are cash prizes for the best entries, and the winning design will be made into the Foundation’s seasonal greetings card.

The creative talent and artistic skills we have seen in previous years have been really impressive. There is still just enough time for project partners to send us their entries. If you need to refresh your memory about the competition rules, please contact the Foundation: projects@krsf.org

Nour Al Huda, another of the 2006 prizewinners, receiving her prize

Latest pictures!

A huge audience gathers for a recent film screening by the Arab Resource Centre for Popular Arts (ARCPA) / Al-Jana in Lebanon as part of their Films on Tour activity, which organises film screenings in marginalised areas of the country. The project is being supported by the Foundation’s Arab Culture Programme.

"Help us fulfill our mission to bring positive and lasting change to the lives of children and young people in the Middle East. Any contribution, however small, makes a real difference."

Projects news

A quick sample of some of the projects our Child Development Programme is supporting this year. Click on the links for further information…

PALESTINE: JENIN

LCR Jenin (Local Committee for Rehabilitation of the Disabled) ortho-prosthetics department targets children in need of devices to help them live more independently. The project prioritises children who live near the separation wall and in refugee camps. Some of the equipment has already been purchased.

The Foundation has enabled the Freedom Theatre to start conducting psychodrama workshops for the children of Jenin Camp. The workshops offer improvisational and interactive role-play, allowing the children to develop their self-esteem and expressional capacity.

JORDAN

The Child Care Charitable Association in Northern Badia offers educational services for children with varying degrees of mental disability. In previous years the Foundation has enabled the CCA to buy equipment and educational materials; this year it is supporting the project’s new focus on building staff capacity and raising community awareness.

LEBANON

DPNA (Development for People and Nature Association) aims both to equip ‘out-of-school’ children with the education and skills they need to be reintegrated into schools, and to improve the conditions and skills of working children. The centre offers various programmes and activities including literacy, accounting and computer skills.

Read more...

This is just a small selection of the projects we support. To see the others and to find out more, click here: http://www.krsf.org/map.shtml

2006-7 Scholars update

Our 2006-7 scholars have now finished their courses, or are in the final stages of doing so, and are on their way home. Here’s what some of them have been doing during their year in the UK…

Ahmad Habash (MA 3D Computer Animation, Bournemouth) completed his graduation project – a short film entitled ‘Red Feather’. It can be viewed here. You can also see Ahmad’s acclaimed sand animation, ‘Flee’ here. ‘Flee’ was screened at the London Palestine Film Festival in April-May 2007 in the New Palestinian Filmmaker category, and Ahmad’s work has been appearing in many festivals in the UK and around the world.

Nadine Haddad (MSc International Management, Oxford Brookes) did a one-week internship with UNHCR in Budapest to work on the joint programme, ‘Separated Children’, with UNHCR and Save the Children. She also participated in the Human Rights Festival, which took place in March 2007.

Waseem Kotoub (PG Diploma in Piano Performance, Royal Academy of Music) participated in piano masterclasses with international piano virtuoso Andrea Schiff, and performed a concert on May 22nd. He has now returned to Syria to continue pursuing both his musical and his medical careers.

We would like all of our 2006-7 scholars (and those from previous years!) to get in touch and let us know in what ways they feel their experience in the UK has benefited them after their return home. It would also be great if you could share some thoughts or practical advice that may help incoming scholars. Moeen Koa (MA Public Communication and Public Relations, Westminster) offers his thoughts: ‘This year changed my life…I felt like I was in the land of opportunity. So make the most of all your chances!’

2007-2008 Scholars

Rami Abdulkarim (Jordan): MSc Energy, Trade and Finance, Dundee; Wissam Abuajwa (Palestine): MSc Environmental Science, Nottingham; Tourkan Abulzahab (Syria/Jordan): MA Education Policy, King’s College London; Wiam Al Aridi (Syria): MSc Sustainable Heritage, UCL; Abdulraheem Al Bakkour (Syria): MA Media, Translation and Culture, Warwick; Ahmad Alkasir (Syria): MSc Water Science, Policy and Management, Oxford; Mazen Al Maanee (Palestine/Syria): MSc Dental Public Health, UCL; Hind Al Nayef (Jordan): Med Special Education, Birmingham; Nour Al Takriti (Syria): MSc Investments, Birmingham; Mohammed Awwad (Palestine): MA Drama, Theatre and Education, Warwick; Asmaa Bakroon (Palestine): MSc Investigative Ophthalmology, Manchester; Marwa Bouka (Syria): MBA, Warwick; Hussam Chakouf (Syria): MA Housing and Urbanism, Architectural Association; Laila Duaibes (Palestine): MSc Health and Rehabilitation, Southampton; Dana Halasa (Jordan): MSc Urban Design, Nottingham; Azhar Hasan (Syria): MSc Applied Human Nutrition, Oxford Brookes; Bader Helal (Jordan): MA Media and Communication, Goldsmiths College, London; Hussein Jabareen (Palestine): MSc Development Studies, Glasgow; Nadia Khiyami (Syria): MBC, Imperial College; Maha Khochen (Lebanon): MA Special Education, Institute of Education; Hamssa Mansour (Iraq): MSc Special Needs Dentistry, UCL; Riyad Nicolas (Syria): BMus, Royal Academy of Music; Nouar Qutob (Palestine): MPhil Biological Science, Cambridge; Ayad Rasheed (Iraq): MPH Public Health, Birmingham; Abir Saksouk Sasso (Lebanon): MSc Urban Development Planning, UCL; Amer Shomali (Palestine): MA 2D Animation, Bournemouth; Malek Takieddine (Lebanon): LLM Oil and Gas Law, Aberdeen; Loai Tannous (Palestine): MSc Environment and Sustainable Development, UCL.

Please note that the Foundation is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Karim Rida Said Foundation 4 Bloomsbury Place London WC1A 2QA Tel: 00 44 207 691 2772 Fax: 00 44 207 691 2780 admin@krsf.org
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