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At Alsama, we
get stuff done
We’re focused on concrete outcomes with immediate and long-term impact for our students.
We're setting the standard
for refugee education
At Alsama, we believe that refugee education should deliver concrete outcomes, and that its impact should be both immediate and long-term. In providing a robust and holistic programme, we are setting a new standard for our students, with no limits to what they can achieve.
Our Strategy
Efficient.
Our leadership team works out of a small HQ in the heart of our Shatila 1 education centre. We take a lean approach, maximising the amount we’re able to invest in our students – 91% of our funding goes directly towards their education.
Impact-focused, data-driven.
To ensure we’re delivering on our promises, we measure everything. Student progress is evaluated three times a year, teachers are continuously evaluated and annual surveys collect feedback from students, parents and staff. If something isn't working, we iterate. It's a data-driven approach to long-term change.
Education tailor-made for refugees.
We’re making up for lost time. We run an intense education programme with minimal holidays: 44 weeks a year, seven hours a day, five days a week. This is how we’re able to eradicate illiteracy in under six months and compress the typical 12-year education into just six. Our programme is entirely self-designed and continuously tested and refined with support from industry experts including McKinsey & Co.
Our Approach
Ambitious.
We owe it to our students to think big. We hold each and every one of them to the highest standards, with a huge emphasis on excellence. Not in spite of their circumstances, but because of them. We’re not teaching for the sake of it, we’re striving together with our students to achieve world-class results.
Collaborative & community-led.
Alsama is fully embedded in the communities that we serve. Of our total staff and volunteers, 96% are locals or refugees themselves.
We don’t believe in top-down decision-making when it comes to our programming. We are constantly evolving and adjusting our programmes according to our students’ needs, circumstances and feedback.
Holistic.
We realised that typical curricula don’t fit our students. So we designed a bespoke educational programme that includes not just Arabic, Maths and English, but yoga, professionalism, art and music. This holistic and all-round education empowers our students with critical life-long ‘soft’ skills that will serve them well beyond our classrooms.
Here to stay.
Giving up is not part of our vocabulary. This drives our focus on long-term programmes, strategic partnership for sustainable, multi-cycle fundraising, and investing in the future leaders of Alsama.
Find more about
We're laser-focused
on outcomes
Students taken from illiteracy to literacy in English and Arabic
Girls kept out of early marriage
Students playing cricket every week
Refugee women financially independent through our social enterprises
We have 2,030 children on our waiting list. Help us open our fifth education centre.
Four years of operation, unparalleled results
Education centres
Our education centres give refugee and displaced teenagers the world-class education they deserve.
In just four years, we’ve grown to a total of four education centres and 880 students. Upon arrival, 90% are illiterate and innumerate, the girls likely to be married before age 18, and the boys working street jobs. Alsama consistently eradicates illiteracy in under six months and has kept 99% of our students from early marriage.
Our top students are now studying CEFR C1 level English and Arabic, 16+ level Maths, and have made equivalent progress in their other subjects. The results are remarkable and speak to the commitment and dedication of both the staff and the students.
Cricket
So far, we’ve given 960 refugee and displaced young people the chance to fall in love with cricket, with 75 of our best performers now playing hardball.
Our growing player base consists of 554 active players, 47% of whom are girls. Our 15 coaches are the only ones in the country, and all started from scratch with Alsama. We also have 60 Junior and Assistant coaches -- our best students, who we’ve offered paid employment and the chance to develop leadership skills and responsibility.
We are on a journey towards registering with the International Cricket Council so that we can found the Lebanese National Cricket Team. We hope to play international cricket by 2026, becoming the first national team to be represented by Arabs – and Syrian refugees at that.
Social enterprises
Our social enterprises create employment and skills development opportunities for the whole community.
We run two enterprises in the community – Alsama Studio and the Arabic Language School - which are financially independent from Alsama.
At Alsama Studio, we employ 53 mothers of our students who put their craft, embroidery and design skills to good use. This initiative is completely separate from our education centres, providing an opportunity for our students’ families to earn an income.
We also employ students who have achieved a high level of English at our Arabic Language School. They teach foreigners wishing to learn Arabic, giving them the chance to take pride in their progress and earn an income. Founded in 2024 by a former student, the Language School now employs three teachers.
"Alsama gave me the tools to follow my dreams.”
When I was seven, ISIS forced me to wear the niqab. I was told that young marriage was my only future. But I didn’t want that. I wanted an education, and Alsama gave me the tools to continue my studies. I learned how to think critically and to convince my family to support my decision to study. I’ve proven to my community that women have an important role to play in society beyond just having children.
Now, with my family’s support, I’m determined to pursue my dreams. My goal is to complete university with a degree in Business Management, start my own business, and return to Syria to help rebuild it.
"Alsama gave me the strength to change my life.”
Before Alsama, my life was chaotic. I had no chance to go to school or think about my future. I felt weak and couldn’t express myself. But when I entered Alsama, everything changed. I grew stronger, gained confidence, and turned down two marriage proposals.
I also discovered my passion for the derbaké (Lebanese drum). Alsama became a special place for me because of the collaboration and encouragement I received. In the future, I want to become a professional cricket coach and prove to my society that women can lead.
"Alsama helped me grow and build a new life.”
My name is Abed. I’m from Syria, from a village called Deir-es-Zor. When I moved to Lebanon in 2016, I had to work in a tobacco shop to help my family. Then one day, my cousin told me about Alsama, and I asked my parents if I could get an education too. They were worried at first, but agreed because they saw that my cousin could speak English and was succeeding in his studies. The first day at Alsama was difficult because I didn’t know anything.
But Alsama helped me grow and build a new life. My dream now is to become a businessman, to support charities and help children – both girls and boys.
"At Alsama, I gained a vision for my future.”
I first came to Lebanon in 2014 because of the war that destroyed my hometown. I didn’t have access to education, and I struggled to find stability. In 2020, I found Alsama, and my life started to change. I became proficient in English within a year and gained valuable skills like leadership and writing. Alsama gave me the confidence to face challenges and set clear goals for my future.
When I earn my G12++ certificate, I plan to study Economics or Business at university. My dream is to empower women in my community through projects and education, and I also want to open a small school to help children learn.
"My family didn't think that girls could play with boys. Now I am a Junior Coach.”
I first started playing cricket with Alsama when I was 11 years old, having just moved to Shatila refugee camp from Syria. At first, my family did not accept me playing cricket. They didn't believe that girls should play on the same field as boys.
Cricket at Alsama has changed me. I really enjoy bowling. But mostly, cricket has allowed me to grow into a confident young woman. I am now a Junior Coach and play in our competitive team.
Award- winning education at 79% of the cost
We’re laser-focused on transforming the life trajectories of young refugees in the most efficient way possible. With rented facilities and a small HQ in Shatila refugee camp, we stay capital-light and keep costs to a minimum. That’s how we’re able to deliver our world-class education for just 79% of the UN global average for refugees.
Our no-frills approach maximises the impact of every donation. Over 90% of funds go directly into our students’ education. And with 96% of our staff being local or refugees themselves, our staff costs represent a direct investment in our community.
With 2,030 children on our waiting list, will you help?
91%
91%
100%
New horizons for refugee teenagers.
Alsama provides refugee teenagers in the Middle East with a world-class education, while transforming refugee education worldwide.
Keep up to date with our progress
Alsama Project is registered in the United Kingdom as a charity, no. 1191810. In Lebanon, Alsama Project is registered as an non-governmental, charitable organisation with the Ministry of Interior, registration no. 372/2021. In the US, Alsama Project is registered as a 501(c)3 organisation, registration no. 87-1842640.