In 2012, the Samerai Foundation co-established the Halabi Foundation with Lebanese pop star Dana Halabi in response to the crisis brought about by the Arab Spring.
The Halabi Foundation established programmes for children affected by the loss of one or more close relatives during the conflicts. The programme’s schedule included teaching children art, hairstyling, and music.
While many of the children continue to live in refugee camps (especially those on the Syrian-Lebanese border), the Halabi Foundation helped arrange for graduates of these courses to work in nearby salons and art shops, filling the children’s time and enabling them to earn some money to support their affected families.
Dana Halabi says: “The region is undergoing radical changes and children are being subjected to scenes of extreme violence every day, with great detrimental impact on their intellectual, social life and development, as well as their future ability to integrate into civil society.
“Through this foundation, we seek to help children by developing and nurturing their talents,” she added.
In the last few years, the Samerai Foundation’s various sponsored services have totaled around US$100,000.