Greetings from the team over at Shlama Foundation! Welcome to our Winter 2021 Newsletter Edition! |
|
|
Donation Update Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted our ability to host fundraisers due to gathering restrictions. In turn, it has become increasingly difficult to raise funds for much needed projects in the homeland. Please consider making a donation or signing up as a Gabarre donor to help finance future projects. Nothing is possible without your support! |
|
|
Subscribe to our Newsletter! |
|
|
What the Shlama Team has been up to |
|
|
Solar Project Our engineers have been working day and night on the solar project in partnership with USAID. They have installed 70 home solar systems, 17 solar water pumps and street lights for one village. Read our attached press release for more information on the progress of this phenomenal project. |
|
|
Population Project Batnaya is back! The town that endured the most severe level of destruction in the Nineveh Plain is making a comeback! Our latest assessment through our Population Project shows 688 people have returned. USAID has invested heavily in Batnaya to help achieve this population revival. We hope to see this upward trend continue and look forward to the population reaching 1,000! | | |
|
|
Business Revamped in Tel-Keppe Khoshaba and Abiot are two young men from Tel-Keppe who had been displaced for the last 5 years. In the summer of 2020, they moved back to their beloved town as the situation began to stabilize. With no work opportunities, they decided to open a small shop in Tel-Keppe to generate income. However, without major support, their shop is struggled, but we have completely revamped the shop. |
|
|
Jony is open for business! Greetings from Baghdeda, where we completed another economic support project. Jony and his family had been living as refugees in Jordan for years. After deciding to return to their hometown, they had nothing left and no income. Desperate for work, Jony reached out to Shlama and we built him a food stand, which is now ready to serve. Iraq is going through hard economic times, with little to no job opportunities. |
|
|
Armash Water Tank Rehabilitation For years, people have had to truck water to their homes as the tank deteriorated with no government support. Now the entire village of 158 people have clean water to drink right from their faucets thanks to the repaired water tank! |
|
|
New Partnership with Flystaygo We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with FlyStayGo.com to help grow our organization while bringing you discounted travel. If you travel, consider registering for a Flystaygo PRO account for an annual $20 membership fee, rather than making a standard donation. Not only will you be making an annual $20 contribution for Shlama Foundation, but you will you enjoy exclusive discounts of up to 60% off on over 600,000 hotels & resorts worldwide. Please note any additional fees below your final costs before confirming purchases. FlyStayGo will be donating 100% of all contributions to Shlama Foundation along with 50% of all hotel commissions anytime you book now or in the future! Use Promo code: SHLAMA or simply click on the link below: |
|
|
Amazon Smile Donations A friendly reminder that if you make any purchases from Amazon, you can have a percentage of your purchase donated to Shlama. You can click the button below to head to the site or simply go to "smile.amazon.com," select "Shlama Foundation" as your charity, and use Amazon as you always do. You can also use Amazon Smile on the mobile app. | | |
|
|
Volunteer SpotlightMark Mansour |
|
|
Shlama would like to spotlight some of our phenomenal volunteers who make this organization thrive for the communities we serve. After becoming displaced during the ISIS invasion, Mark reached out to Shlama and asked how he could help. He is now the Project Manager of the Hamdaniya District. He owns a stationary store in Baghdeda and is a Syriac teacher at a primary school in Bartella. He earned his bachelor's degree in Syriac Studies from Baghdad University and is currently pursuing his master's degree in Semitic languages. |
|
|
Pope Francis in Iraq March 5th-8th! |
|
|
The Catholic community in Iraq had been excitedly waiting for the arrival of the Pope! Cities like Baghdeda were celebrating. It was only 4 years ago that ISIS was roaming around these same streets. We posted a link of the video below to show the warm welcome the people of Baghdeda gave the Pope. |
|
|
On the last day, the Pope visited Mosul, Baghdeda, and Erbil. Visiting the Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square and praying for the victims of war was especially symbolic because Mosul was where ISIS's caliphate was declared almost 7 years ago. In Erbil, he celebrated mass in Franso Hariri Football Stadium with 10,000 people in attendance. |
|
|
| | Patriarch Gewargis III Sliwa to Resign due to Deteriorating Health Patriarch Gewargis III Sliwa has informed the bishops of his Church that he “of his own free will, and after long contemplation, has decided to step down from his ecclesiastical responsibilities starting April 22, because he is no longer able to carry out his responsibilities and administrative duties as the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.” Sliwa contracted a disease while in Germany and his health condition and the process of recovery had become a great burden for him personally. | | |
|
| | New Priest Ordained Bishop Najib ordained Shakir Antwan Zaitona as a new priest within the archdiocese, and after the ceremony, the bishop visited the shop we recently assisted. We are thrilled to see more signs of normal life for the people who have returned to Tel-Keppe and we look forward to conducting more projects there. | | |
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media | |
|
|
|
|
