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An NGO that dares to do things differently
Built within and by the communities we serve, we're transforming refugee education from the bottom up.
Alsama means sky in Arabic.
We create new horizons for young refugees.
Alsama was founded in 2020 as a response to the needs of 40 teenagers in Lebanon who were determined to escape child marriage and forced labour. They longed for an education in a place where no schools were open to them.
The co-founders – from Syria, Britain and Germany, along with our ‘fifth’ co-founder – the students themselves – opened their first education centre in a refugee camp in Beirut. Alsama was born.
In just four years, one centre became four, serving 880 young refugees and displaced teenagers. Ninety percent of Alsama’s students, aged 12 to 18, arrive illiterate and innumerate. In under six months, that figure drops to zero. From Arabic to Art, English to Employability Skills, Maths to Competitive Sports, our students study a holistic programme that they themselves co-created.
Today, our programme has won international awards, and Alsama has become a disruptor in refugee education, with a transformative model that takes students from illiteracy to university readiness in just six years.
Inspiring change:
Our vision and values
At Alsama, everything we do is driven by our core vision and values. These guiding principles shape our approach to education, our relationships with students, staff and communities, and our long-term goals.
Our vision
Our vision is to transform the model of refugee education, so that young refugees have the chance to co-create a more peaceful world.
Our values
Commitment
We are here to stay. We commit to our students and they commit to us. We provide consistency of education, no matter how challenging the circumstances.
Collaboration
We are a community. Alsama brings together individuals from refugee, local and international communities, all pursuing the same goal.
Ambition
We strive for excellence in everything that we do. We believe there are no limits to what our students – or we – can achieve.
Refugee-led, Women-led, Student-led
We’re forged through collaboration, with students leading the way.
Our co-founders combine experience from McKinsey & Co, UN programmes, and local NGOs, bringing a unique mix of professional expertise and grassroots knowledge.
And with a majority-female leadership team, staff, student body and Board, we’re run by women at every level.
Above all, we are driven by our students, with strong feedback loops ensuring we deliver the education they need.
We have an ambitious plan
for the next five years and beyond.
We have 2,030 children on our waiting list. Help us open our fifth education centre.
2020-2021
Birth
Alsama starts life as a small youth empowerment centre in the heart of Shatila refugee camp. We teach awareness, cricket, and yoga to 40 teenagers, mostly girls.
Inspired by our students' ambitions, we expand our vision. In November 2020, we open our first full-time education centre, welcoming 220 students. In just six months, they’ve already overcome illiteracy and innumeracy.
2022-2023
Growing ambitions
We open a second education centre, in Bourj al Barajneh refugee camp, and a third, Shatila 2. We also add a Music department, shared between the two Shatila centres.
We expand our programme with a greater focus on whole-child development, adding Art and Music classes. We begin developing our G12++, a high school-equivalent certificate designed for young refugees worldwide to prove their skills to universities and employers.
2024
War
With our fourth education centre opening in February 2024, we increase our student body to 880 – half in Shatila, half in Bourj al Barajneh. We win the prestigious Library of Congress Literacy Award for our innovations in literacy and our students' world-class results.
As a direct response to war in Lebanon, we adapt our approach and add to our toolkit, so we can continue to provide an education for our students, even as the bombs are falling.
2025+
Scale
We continue to grow, opening more centres in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon and reaching nearly 2,000 students by 2027. Our first students make it to university, becoming undergraduates in 2026.
Partnering with other NGOs, we franchise our award-winning educational model to reach 10,000 students by 2029 across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and beyond.
Meet the students + staff who
make up the Alsama community
We have 2,030 children on our waiting list. Help us open our fifth education centre.
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.