Toronto, June, 2019- “My family and I left Syria after my hometown Homs was besieged by regime forces and my home was destroyed in war. We moved to a safer place, but the situation got worse everywhere” said Bilal “We came to Lebanon in 2011.” Bilal Alrasoul is an 18 year old high school student, who has been working with Livelihood project for over two years. He explains his journey to Canada and that access to healthcare, safety, and basic needs were his family’s biggest ch

A social icebreaker was perhaps the first giveaway that 1951 Coffee, a new coffee shop in Berkeley, is not your typical latte stop. "Where are you from?" Nazira Babori, 26, a barista-in-training, asked her coworker, Tedros Abraha. "Eritrea," Abraha, 31, said. "Do you know Eritrea…?" "Hmmm," Babori said. "Is it democratic?" With the exception of co-founders Rachel Taber and Douglas Hewitt, 1951 Coffee is entirely staffed by refugees, asylum seekers and special immigrant visa h

In a deeply divided world, any ideas to reunite us are worth a crack. And few things are as unifying as fresh homemade hummus. That middle-eastern dish is among the arsenal of crowdfunded restaurant Syr, which is staffed mainly by Syrian refugees in the Dutch city of Utrecht. Entirely self-funded, the masterminds behind the project believe that Syr appeals to those on the left desperate to accept and help refugees, and those on the right who are suspicious of multiculturalism

Many recently arrived Syrian refugees are relying on food banks to feed their families, forcing some locations to stock specific Middle Eastern food, enlist the help of translators and extend their operating hours. Some food banks have seen hundreds of Syrians walk through their doors, while others are anticipating more of a rush when financial support for the newcomers runs out. A lot of them appear to be government-assisted refugees, who live off a one-time startup sum and