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What a year it has been. Since Jusoor’s inception in 2011, we have been working with Syrians and for Syrians, but never inside Syria. This year, everything changed. We were finally able to bring our programs into Syria. This was a year when we also experimented with our educational approaches, as well as launched an exciting new scholarship program with Juna Foundation. We invite you on this journey of reflection on our year at Jusoor.
Bridges to Syria
In early 2025, we announced our initiative, Bridges to Syria, as the first step in Jusoor's effort to establish a successful presence in Syria, registering as an NGO within the country. What started as intense on-ground learning and monitoring has quickly emerged, turning into actionable plans and projects that have already impacted more than 1,000 Syrian students and teachers this year.
Over the summer in Syria, we ran a series of intensive three-day teacher trainings in Zabadany, Maadameyet Al-Sham, and Haran Al-Awameed, reaching 90 primary school teachers. These teachers then ran our summer school program, providing over 900 children with hands-on experience to apply their newly acquired skills.
The summer ended with a partnership with Sawaed Syria, where we launched preparatory courses for high school students entering their final year of high school. Our program supported 36 students in Maadameyet Al-Sham across seven core subjects, providing them with free, accessible courses to prepare for their baccalaureate exams following years of interrupted schooling.
But we didn’t just work with schools. During the first-ever Global Entrepreneurship Week in Syria, we served as strategic partners, participating in panels, roundtable discussions, and networking with Syrian startups to better understand the needs on the ground and how Jusoor can contribute to the country's startup ecosystem. During the event, we announced the launch of our first Entrepreneurship Program inside Syria, Launchpad, a residency pre-accelerator program in collaboration with Startup Syria, designed for early-stage Syrian startups that have already launched a minimum viable product (MVP) or are generating early traction in the market, set to start early 2026.
Our year in Syria is ending with the Bridging Science Forum, in collaboration with the Syrian Science Council, featuring a series of lectures and interactive workshops in two universities presented by a select group of Syrian academics, in a space designed to foster academic communication and bridge the knowledge gap between those within and outside Syria.
Awards & Recognitions
This year, we were honored to be named the winner of the Championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award at the PIEoneer Awards 2025. This award recognizes organizations that are driving meaningful change in education by ensuring that opportunity is not limited by background or circumstance.
Our online learning initiative, Azima (Funded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), was selected as one of 100 global innovative educational initiatives by HundrED out of 789 applicants for the 2026 collection. HundrED is a global mission striving to connect, support, and celebrate innovative and impactful educators around the world.
Last but not least, our Board of Directors member, Safouh Takroury, was named as one of the Arab America Foundation’s 40 under 40 for 2025. All awardees are under the age of 40, excel in their respective industries, and are actively engaged in promoting their heritage and culture to empower their communities and make a positive difference.
Community Celebration
Our community is the backbone of our work, so it is only fair to celebrate their milestones as we celebrate ours. 31 of our High School Scholarship students who graduated in 2025 in Lebanon have all joined Syrian universities. We look forward to seeing these students move on to become Syria’s next generation of entrepreneurs, engineers, doctors, writers, thinkers, and change-makers, moving the country forward!
We couldn’t be prouder of all our scholars who graduated this year. We’ve seen Joodi Mourhli graduate from Cambridge University with a Master of Philosophy in Population Health Sciences. Joodi joined the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at Cambridge last August and has been working as a research assistant with the Palliative and End-of-Life Care Research Group. Our Exeter University Scholar, Yousef Yousef, is now pursuing a PhD in 3D-printed sustainable housing following his graduation. We’ve also celebrated all our United World Colleges Graduates of this year, receiving scholarships to pursue their bachelor’s degrees in prestigious universities around the world.
Our alumni continue making strides wherever they go. Jusoor x United World Colleges, 2022 alumnus Ibrahim Alkaseer has been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to pursue his master’s degree at Oxford University. Dr. Sarah Khalil successfully defended her PhD thesis in Civil Engineering at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. A 100 Syrian Women, 10,000 Syrian Lives scholarship recipient, Sarah Khalil studied for her master's degree as a Jusoor scholar and continued with a PhD scholarship awarded by her university.
We also celebrated the graduation of our first cohort of the "Education in Emergencies" Teaching Diploma, in collaboration with the Modern University for Business and Science (MUBS) and generously supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The cohort included twelve of our refugee education centers’ teachers in Lebanon. We look forward to celebrating the upcoming cohort’s graduation in 2026.
In 2025, we came together with our community in several moments around the world. In San Francisco, our community gathered for the Hope Through Education Gala. In the UAE, we welcomed members of the inspiring and successful Syrian diaspora community in Dubai for Jusoor’s UAE Suhoor.
The events for this year rounded up in November, with our gala in New York City. Under the theme ‘Rooted in Hope,’ the gala featured an immersive dinner experience set against a 360-degree projection of Syria’s most iconic monuments, an art auction by talented Syrian artists, and a night dedicated to raising funds for our programs and connecting to our community in New York City.
Innovative Learning
Education is at the core of what we do, and we are committed to finding innovative ways to provide world-class education to our students. This year, we implemented our AI in Education Initiative after being selected for the MIT Solve Global Learning Challenge in 2024. Together with Lirvana Labs, we brought an AI-powered customized learning app to our students in Jusoor’s refugee education centers.
In its third iteration, the Future Skills Project took place in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, with 75 Syrian refugee students between the ages of 14 & 17. Generously supported by Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund, the project equips young Syrian refugees with 21st-century skills needed for the local and global job market.
This fall, we launched a scholarship program dedicated to vocational certification and professional development. The Jusoor-Juna Foundation partnership opens a pathway for displaced Syrian, Palestinian, and Lebanese youth to pursue in-person professional development certificates, vocational certification, and/or partially funded bachelor's degrees.
To address Arabic literacy through play, we teamed up with Right to Play Lebanon to implement the Learning Minds Project throughout the year. The project enhanced our students' Arabic literacy and social-emotional learning. It also transformed our learning environments by repurposing classrooms in Jurahiya and Jeb Jennine into vibrant libraries, installing new playground equipment, and expanding safe spaces with a covered tent and upgraded facilities. Furthermore, we successfully engaged approximately 100 parents and caregivers through dedicated sessions and needs-based training. These sessions provided safe spaces and practical strategies to enhance family well-being, with many participants reporting improved communication and dynamics at home.
It’s been an amazing year. We can not thank you enough for supporting us, especially on our pathway to Syria. We cannot wait to start 2026 full of energy, hope, and action for even more interventions inside and outside our beloved Syria.
