This is Ammar(5), Ayat(8), Sulaiman (5 months) Wardshan(9) and they have an elder brother Saleh(10) who works at a grocery store to help supplement the family income, for only 2 Jordanian Dinar (that’s less than $3 USD.) Their father is a day laborer. Sulaiman needs a 2nd surgery because he has a clot in his nose. The family moved from Syria to Jordan 5 years ago. When I asked their mother what would be her wish…considering the war hasn’t ended, she said “if we can’t go home all I want is for my kids to get an education so they can fend for themselves when they are older and help rebuild Syria. We are blessed, we have enough to survive…others have much less.” They didn’t even have furniture in their home. The largesse of heart and compassion she had through her tears moved me to pieces. PLS GO TO www.unicef.org and DONATE whatever you can… let’s make this a collective #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef
With everything that’s happening in the world around us, it’s important to look forward with hope and love…. that’s what I’ve brought with me to #Jordan along with the resolve to help us understand these amazing survivors and how we can all do our part to help them. Keep u posted #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria
Ran into these two at #TIFF…cool or creepy, still deciding. #JamesBond #PahunaPressDay #TIFF17
Let’s take this trip together… let’s open our eyes and our hearts to the #ChildrenUprooted in the Syrian Refugee crisis. This will be our #MissionForChildren. Let’s show them that the world cares and help them find a way forward.. come along with me.. I’ll update as much as I can and in as much detail as I can… @Unicef #PCInJordan🇯🇴 #syrianrefugees🇸🇾 #ChildrenOfSyria
On our way.. Pre premiere carfie! #producerlife @madhuchopra @fendi @niravmodijewels #pahuna @tiff_net
So I guess I’m the constant…new day, new (cut-out) arm candy. ❤️❤️❤️🙌🏻 @tiff_net @idriselba 😍
Beautiful #Jordan🇯🇴 a host country to millions of refugees.. let’s open our hearts and figure out how we can help .. will keep you posted as i meet these incredible survivors 🙏🏼 @Unicef #neversaynever
Picture credit : @natashapal
So proud of these ladies! Looking smokin… @madhuchopra and @paakhi for @instylemagazine #pahunathelittlevisitors @tiff_net
Today was very emotional. As we go about our daily privileged lives, it’s hard to imagine that everything can be taken from you in an moment. Today we spent the day in a host community meeting Syrian refugee families (like this one) so desperately seeking a safe place of normalcy for their families. More than 80% of the Syrian refugees in Jordan live outside refugee camps in cities, urban centers and farming villages (host communities.) Amman hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, about 180,000 people. Refugee families in host communities have limited livelihood opportunities, and after 6 years, have depleted their savings and borrowed money from everywhere to feed and support their families. @unicef #ChildrenUprooted #TheyAreUs
This is Z’aid – he is 16 years old and is a child laborer. He works as a tailor and a barber but he aspires to be a translator. He loves languages and wants to learn as many as he can..he wants to help the world understand each other better..Build bridges… He is full of so much optimism for the future of the world despite of being ravaged by war…so while he’s not at work he comes to the Makani Center to learn and educate himself..He made this bow by hand, and offered it to me as a gift of friendship… it’s kids like this that will build a better world tomorrow.
@unicef #ChildrenUprooted #TheyAreUs
A class full of future doctors, engineers, police officers, teachers. What breaks my heart is they can’t even access proper schools as refugee kids… how will they access higher education?? These hopes and dreams.. where do they stand in the reality of their world? The government schools in Jordan have added evening classes and 200 schools to accommodate the growing number of Syrian children which is approximately 120000 children..But it’s never enough. The world needs to help. We need to help. PLS GO TO www.unicef.org and DONATE whatever you can… let’s make this a collective #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef
Day two – today we’re visiting the Za’atari Camp. I’ll keep you updated throughout the day. To donate, please go to UNICEF.org (link in bio) #ChildrenUprooted #TheyAreUs @unicef #PCinJordan🇯🇴 PS – there may may be delays in posting due to low connectivity
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Team #Pahuna before the TIFF world premiere of our beautiful project. So many feels. #TIFF17 @paakhi @madhuchopra @purplepebblepictures @fendi @niravmodijewels
Say hello to Omaima 16, Seba 17, Shaimaa 14, Hanin 15, Maria 15, Wafa 13, Ayat 16, and Maram 15. These are 16-17 yr olds in a school in the Za’atari Refugee Camp. Omaima couldn’t carry much when she and her family fled Syria…so she decided to carry soil and rocks from her garden to remember her country. Seba said they have all prepared themselves for when they go back to Syria after the war is over…knowing it will be almost unrecognizable. That’s the reason they go to school everyday, so that they can rebuild Syria again. Their determination for education, however much they can get, is incredible and truly overwhelming. These girls don’t have much at all, but yet Seba and Omaima took their bracelet and ring off to give me so I will always remember them. I’ll always remember you…I promise. It’s kids like this that will build a better world tomorrow.
Please swipe left for more. @unicef #TheyAreUs #ChildrenUprooted #pcinjordan🇯🇴
Sunday 9:00 am, Amman, Jordan: Looking forward to day and meeting some amazing #ChildrenOfSyria and volunteers. #MissionforChildren #ChildrenUprooted #PCInJordan
There is No right or wrong.. just a perspective .. #just
I have never done this when I do field trips, but on this one I feel compelled to reflect on what I feel after every session because I felt a lot. The anger and agony I felt seeing these beautiful hopeful children ravaged by war was so raw. The world has seen the pain war has left in Syria but the resilience and joy and hope in spite of it is so inspiring to me. These kids are my inspiration. They should be yours too.
PLS GO TO www.unicef.org and DONATE whatever you can… let’s make this a collective #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef Amman, Jordan
Excuse the bad cartwheel and lame attempt at a Rugby toss…
This is a Makani ‘Drop In’ Center for underage boys who work,they are referred to as “Child Laborers.” Most of the boys are between 10 and 18 years old, work 6-12 hours per day, and literally drop in after work to play and receive an informal education, as well as learn life skills. Many of the boys you see in these pictures have only just started to learn how to read and write, since the priority for most of these boys is to provide sustenance for their families. The teachers here work 3 shifts each day to accommodate the influx of kids to give them a chance to work and study. We must do our bit. This is what WAR looks like. Consequence of Conflict.
To donate please go to UNICEF.org or click the link in my bio. @unicef #TheyAreUs #ChildrenUprooted
Off and away… where do we go next??? Thank you @tiff_net and @cameronpbailey for the honor at the #shareherjourney Soirée, and giving such an amazing spotlight to my small Sikkimese movie with a big message, Pahuna. Toronto will always be one of my favorite places in the world. Thank you for the love. See you next time! ❤️❤️❤️@madhuchopra @paakhi #neversaynever
Most of these girls (8-10yrs) have lived in this refugee camp for more than half their lives..so they probably don’t even remember what normalcy in life is outside of a refugee status..their smiles come from such a pure place, of making the most of whatever they have.. of survivors.. In Za’atari, there are currently 27,000 children enrolled in the 14 school complexes. Although there are make shift seats for every child in the camp, the enrollment is about 78% as children drop out due to child marriages, child labor and family attitudes towards education. All schools in the camp work two shifts, with girls classes in the morning and boys in the afternoon. We visited this School in the morning, so we met the girls.
Pls swipe left. #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted #PCInJordan #TheyAreUs @unicef
Cultures are so lovely.so different yet so similar. Kalam is arabic for pen and it’s kalam in Urdu/Hindi too. We found that funny. Since the kids were learning English I thought Pencil may be appropriate… #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef Amman, Jordan
This is Eman. She is an artist and these are her sketches. This particular one caught my attention because it depicts her version of the war. A man in a jail trying to feed a little bird. It broke my heart to see so much compassion despite of being so ravaged by war. Eman wants to show the world through her art what her imagination holds. God Bless. 🙏🏼 #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef Amman, Jordan
Never be ok with hearing the word no…because there will always be someone who will say “yes.” I’m very proud of my first time “female” director @paakhi for having the courage to not give up, when people didn’t believe this film could be made. Bravo for wanting to tell a beautiful story that may not be what people consider mainstream… but today had a world premiere on an international platform at @tiff_net, with an applause that resonated for a very long time. Tonight an audience watched this film for the first time outside of our offices at @purplepebblepictures, and told us how proud they were that a story like this was told. Thank u @madhuchopra for your keen eye. Thank you @cameronpbailey for the opportunity to share this small film and a big message with a world audience…one about children’s rights, the refugee crisis, religious conversion and the affect of adult decisions on kids from the perspective of our protagonists, who are 2 young kids from a small village in Sikkim. My heart swells at the thought of people standing up and applauding our effort. This is the reason I wanted to be a filmmaker. Major feels. 🌈❤️❤️🙏🏼🙌🏼😍
Fadi. Seven years old. Was so excited that he knew how to write his name in English but wrote it left to right because he knew arabic. It was very cute so we learnt how to write his name in English and he taught me to write my name in Arabic. #MissionForChildren #ChildrenUprooted
#PCInJordan
#ChildrenOfSyria @unicef Amman, Jordan
