Nour International

Nour International was founded by ACS freshmen in 2014. While volunteering with the Women's Program Association (WPA), Bylasan Ahmad and Luma Makari observed a significant gap in educational support within Lebanon. The WPA was in the process of establishing the Nour Center, a school for Syrian and Palestinian youth living in the Burj Al-Barajneh refugee camp. Alongside fellow freshman, Leen Farouki, the ACS students expanded the WPA mission to include the establishment of an outpost on the ACS campus itself. Staffed by ACS students, such outpost would provide enrichment activities such as music, sports, and English language instruction.

Initiating an education center in high school fueled my commitment to social change projects. This journey continued beyond graduation, with the WPA and our community, leading to impactful projects supported by the foundation and momentum built with the ACS community. "

Luma Makari, ACS '18Co-Founder of Elggo

To bring this vision to life, the ACS students enlisted the support of the entire ACS community as well as a network of partner schools across the US, Morocco, China and South Africa. With the help of student fundraising and awareness campaigns the WPA was able to launch the Nour Center and offer free quality education to youth in Burj Al-Barajneh who might not otherwise have access to formal education. A team of ACS students, with the full support of the ACS administration, created, managed and staffed the enrichment program on the ACS campus – an enterprise which continues to host over 20 Burj Al-Barajneh youth every other Saturday morning and for special events held throughout the year.

Today Nour International attracts over 25 student volunteers from the high school and middle school, and is one of ACS’s largest and most revered student organizations. Student activities can be broken into the following three main functions, all overseen by the Executive Council, comprised of high school students selected by graduating seniors. 

Teaching

Student-Teachers commit to developing lesson plans and teaching a group of students every other Saturday morning. Subjects include English language, social skills, and enrichment activities such as art and sports.

Fundraising

Nour International’s fundraising team ensures that the organization has the funds necessary to transport children to ACS, to provide food and other snacks, and to purchase necessary classroom and enrichment teaching supplies. Team members host regular fundraisers and virtual networking events to expand the base of Nour International’s supporters. A recent fundraising initiative with Imperial College London, facilitated by a former ACS student member of Nour International, raised approximately $700.

Special Events

Special events include a Halloween celebration, Winter Carnival, and a special play time and Iftar co-sponsored with the high school student council each year during Ramadan.