Operation for a sick mom

Dear Boosters,

It has been a new, different kind of experience for me to raise money for Professor Salloum and his family in Syria. I have learned a lot: it's been eye-opening to hear directly from Syrians who try to live their lives in the middle of a war zone. It's been particularly touching to follow the struggle of an sick mother trying to cope on her own with her illness and take care of her two small children. The fact is that they are fighting every day to meet their basic needs: healthcare, food and security.

It wasn't as easy to raise money as I initially thought. As I'm an optimist by nature, I thought that most people - friends, colleagues and even strangers - would feel enough empathy to donate something. Of course this wasn't the case... There is so much suffering in the world and so many causes to support, that it is understandable everyone cannot donate for every campaign. On the other hand, I also had to face a fair amount of reluctance and indifference. But in the end, I'm relieved that so many people believed this campaign could make a big difference in one family's life.

5000 francs you donated have been duly delivered to Hanan Awat, Professor Salloum's wife. I would love to report back to you by confirming that everything is in order now, the Salloum family is back to normal... Unfortunately life is not that easy and simple, especially in Syria. Hanan was operated and she was able to reimburse a big part of the dept that covered the hospital bills. But her health is still not stable and she may need further care and possibly an additional operation. They still have some depts and no income. The kids stay inside most of the day because the security is deteriorating, due to increasing criminal activity. How can you plan anything for the future in these circumstances?

Dear boosters, my sincerest thanks for your support for this project. I am very grateful and so is Professor Salloum as you will see in the brief video below. The picture of Hanan Awat was taken last week as she had to retourn to the hospital amid breathing problems. If you or someone you know still would like to donate something directly to the family, please do get in touch with me, as I will continue to support the family whatever way I can.

Warmly,
Anna

Dear boosters,

I wanted to share with you some details about Dr Salloum's background. He is in fact a university professor and an expert in Syrian cultural heritage. Before the war started, he was the Director of the Department of Popular Heritage at the Ministry of Culture. He has written several books on various topics, including a dictionary of Syrian public heritage, traditional medicine and cuisine. He has also written over 80 poems.

Last week Dr Salloum and I visited the Museum of History and Art in Geneva. In particular, we wanted to see a temporary exhibition on stolen objects from Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, confiscated by Geneva authorities. Below is a picture of Dr Salloum and two funeral reliefs from Palmyra from the 2nd century. The objects were stolen from Palmyra before the start of the war and arrived in Geneva in 2009.

Best regards
Anna

Dear boosters,

First, thank you to all our new boosters, your contributions are truly appreciated!

Second, I am very glad to inform you that Hanan Awat was successfully operated last week and she is recovering well. She was operated by Dr. Ebrahim Al Khalaf, a leading cardiologist in the well-known Al Basel Heart Hospital in Damascus. The picture attached has been taken after the operation.

The operation was paid with money borrowed from a neighbor. The family is now under great pressure to pay it back as they have provided their apartment as a guarantee. Their only hope to pay the money back are the funds raised through this campaign.

Thank you for your support and for spreading the word to your friends, family and colleagues - we still need another CHF1,400 to reach the target of CHF5,000 and send it to the family.

Take care and have a relaxing Sunday!

Anna

Dear Boosters, thank you again for your continuous support for this project!

Mrs Salloum is currently in hospital which is being paid for with the money the family borrowed from a neighbor. However, I have learned this week that she had to give their apartment as a guarantee for the loan. Apparently the conditions were not crystal clear and the lender is now charging them interest and threatening to go to the police if he doesn't get paid within a week or so. Needless to say, the family's situation is precarious.

We have made good progress in the first 15 days - CHF3,500 achieved, so we are only missing another CHF1,500 to from the first milestone of 5,000 francs. Please help me get the appeal to more people by sharing it with your friends, family, colleagues and other contacts. I have also added new goodies including coaching sessions kindly offered by Simone Reeves and language tuition by myself - please check out the Goodies section for details. I am also planning a fundraising apéro in Geneva early June - watch this space!

Below is a letter written by Mrs Salloum thanking for our help.

Kind regards
Anna

A big thank you from Mr Salloum for everyone who has boosted the project to date - please check out the video message we filmed earlier today for you!

Some news from Mr Salloum's family: his brother managed to borrow 2,200 dollars from their neighbours. With this money they have been able to send Mrs Saloum back to the hospital. She has been suffering from serious dizziness and breathing problems in the recent weeks. The doctors are now examining her to determine the right treatment. However, as soon as they run out of money and cannot pay the hospital, she will be sent back home, probably in a couple of days.

The other news is that little Noor is recovering quite well from her accident. She broke her leg when she fell from her mother's arms as she fainted. You can see her on the picture with her plaster.

Help us reach the first target of the campaign, CHF5000, by 15 May! We are still missing 2800 francs. Thank you for your support!