Connection is Hope
“It’s hard to ask people for money, isn’t it?”
Someone running a hedge fund posed this question to me as someone running a nonprofit. I replied with it, “It certainly is.”
I think we both experience the vulnerability of putting a need out there to be ignored or worse, judged. For someone to believe in your dream, roll up their sleeves and join you is the hope. The hope isn’t money. The hope is connection.
Connection has the power to change everything.
We had a fundraiser in November, and I was almost late to the event I spent months planning. There was an active shooter in the apartment complex next to mine and Denver police had the only way in and out blocked off. After sitting for over an hour, waiting for the road to reopen. I dug into my Beirut experiences and thought about what I would do in this situation in Beirut. I would park my car, walk the opposite way until I could catch a taxi. So, that’s what I did.
I walked to a major street and ordered an Uber. I told my driver about what happened and that I was in a hurry to make my fundraiser. When he asked me what I do, he replied with, “I am a refugee too.” I learned about his journey from Somalia to Kenya to America. He asked me lots of questions about Palestinian refugees. When he dropped me off, he told me he wanted to donate to the fundraiser and handed me twenty dollars. Probably from his daily earnings.
This maybe was the most meaningful donation I have ever gotten, not because of the money. But because there was a connection between his life as a refugee and his desire to give back to other refugees. It was his gratitude that made me cry. It was the fact that I could connect this refugee who showed me kindness and safety to other refugees in the Middle East.
Connection is powerful.
A few weeks after that event, I was working at the wine bar. While ringing someone up, I overheard Arabic. It took me a minute to process it. I turned to the young woman and asked if she spoke Arabic. She did, and she turned out to be Palestinian. I told her I work in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan. Turns out she has family still living in the camps in Jordan.
When she left, she gave me a big hug and told me in Arabic, “Thank you for the work of your hands.” I replied in Arabic, and she hugged me again. Instant connection. Neither one of us had to explain ourselves. We both felt seen and understood.
Connection is safety.
Yes, asking people for money is hard. Inviting people into a connection with others is a privilege. That’s how I view it. It’s an opportunity for people here to see refugees as I do. Refugees are people facing impossible challenges without protections or rights. They did not make the choice to be a refugee. They are not people to be pitied or for their stories of suffering to be manipulated into donations. Many refugees struggle and fight for a better life, not only for themselves but for their communities. Their stories should inspire us to connect and support them. We have the honor of using our resources and rights to make sure others halfway around the world have the same opportunities. That’s what fundraising is to me, a connection to each other.
That’s hope.
I would be remiss if I didn’t invite you to support our projects this December. We provide employment and training to two young refugee women in Jordan. We support emergency services for Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. We assist with a cookbook project in Lebanon to honor culture and story. You can go to https://beirutandbeyond.org/2023-projects to learn more about our projects led by Palestinians and GIVE a tax-deductible donation before December 31st, 2022.
Connect with us in hope!