“With these words, Carol Georges Zakhour, founder of Uplifting Syrian Women, explains how she views change: ‘We have to change the way we see the world before we try to change it itself.’ The initiative turned her life around and that of 100 other volunteers who work for it. But it wasn’t an ordinary shift. It was like the butterfly effect, landing softly, scattering its glow into the welcoming air.
A dream had lit up the passion inside Carol to establish the initiative, as she had always believed that her core needed to bring change to this world. She never got used to pointing out problems while waiting for others to find solutions. Instead, it was a must for her to work hard and move forward without waiting on anyone or anything.
Carol chose women as her targeted group in this initiative, based on the idea that only women understand the suffering of other women. The question here is, why do women makeup four times the percentage of men in the workplace but not in leading positions? And the more dangerous question is, why is there a gap between the two sexes in educational attainment and needed efficiency for the workplace? Due to many more questions, Carol decided to march one step alongside women through Uplifting Syrian Women.
“It was only my journey, but today, it’s the journey of more than 100 creative volunteers besides me.” With these feelings and a sense of group spirit, Carol describes the journey of the volunteers and workers of this initiative. She also adds, “Since the founding of the initiative, my journey was permeated with a lot of hard work, loss, and sometimes a distraction. But these particular moments are a source of pride because I came out of them stronger than I was before.” And she continues, “During these two years, I became more patient, stronger, and more confident in myself. And most of all, my path to the future became brighter and clearer.”
After two years of launching the initiative, it wasn’t easy for Carol to get to where she is today. It was days full of exhaustion, busy with ideas, some of which were unattainable at some point, but insisting on reaching your goals makes miracles. She comments on that, saying: “I can’t tell the whole story in a couple of lines; I’d be afraid to do my team wrong. But to set things straight, we had sleepless nights, and every one of us offered, despite our limited resources, all we had with lots of love.
Carol Georges Zakhour wrote her success story and is still writing new lines of an exciting trip between the extended past and present. She answers the question about the ability to achieve success in the light of surrounding circumstances with: “Current circumstances are the biggest motive for conquering success. People who are living a comfortable, stable life, who don’t feel the need for anything, will never try to change anything. Since we are living in uneasy circumstances, it’s actually a constant reminder to keep trying over and over, Providing better living conditions”
At first, Carol’s idea about the initiative was to help women online get practical experiences. These experiences qualify them to enter the workplace the right way while fulfilling its requirements. But it doesn’t stop at that point for Carol. It was necessary to rehabilitate women and help those who wished to obtain a scholarship, for example, or to gain voluntary experience.
In addition to that, psychological support was a must, since everyone is suffering from what’s happening, especially women. Our family at the initiative is growing bigger and bigger; day by day, we have more volunteers, followers, and beneficiaries. Sometimes, Carol finds it hard to believe that it’s been two years since the launch. Between an honest, shy warm start and a persisting consistency, the initiative’s teams were – with so many of them – like a beehive writing a special success story.
It’s not easy for any human being to cross the narrow door of this life, or choose the hard way filled with thorns. But certainly, that way and that door, being so narrow and hard, will make a tougher, stronger, more resilient person capable of facing challenges. At this point in the conversation, she sees herself as grateful for everything that made her who she is today. She waits for upcoming hardships with a smile and great determination, eager to learn from them. All of the hardships and challenges she experienced were the result of her choosing the difficult path, and if she were allowed to change anything about her life, she would not change anything.
“Carol” cannot separate her personal wishes from her wishes for the initiative, as she considers the initiative “the source of her happiness.” Her goal for the initiative is to sustain its impact, expand its provision of services, and be a part, no matter how small, of improving the conditions of Syrian women. Even Carol’s personal individual wishes center around that sweet relic. She hopes that it will be a beautiful memory in the lives of all those whose paths crossed with it and a source of hope to pursue their dreams.
“Let’s work together so we can survive”: On the anniversary of the “Uplifting Syrian Women” initiative, Carol Georges Zakhour feels proud. This feeling comes from the noticeable change she sees in the lives of each member of the initiative – internal progress and development in terms of practical experience, self-confidence, and psychological comfort.
In addition, Carol is happy to see the initiative’s members producing, influencing their community, and feeling fulfilled. She offers her gratitude to everyone who believes in the goals of the initiative and is working for it, for all those who have allowed this little community of hers to be their “safe haven.” This, in return, allowed her to be a witness to the positive developments in the lives of the initiative’s members.
“Let’s work together so we can survive” was the sentence with which Carol concluded her message to all members of the “Uplifting Syrian Women” initiative, their volunteers, and their audience. This is always her mantra, as the existence of the initiative is only for the sake of its audience, which gives it continuity. It is indispensable to support all for all and to cooperate hand in hand to achieve the desired goals and bring about change.