For Rania Succar, there are not enough hours in the week.
Last year, she was made chief executive of Intuit Mailchimp, a multibillion-dollar marketing company with 1,500 employees and 13 million global users. On top of that, the San Francisco-based Syrian American helps head education non-profit Jusoor.
Jusoor is the brainchild of Ms Succar and a group of other Syrians who came together more than a decade ago, motivated by their desire to change the fortunes of the country’s young people.
Rania Succar is the chief executive of Intuit Mailchimp and the co-founder of Jusoor. Photo: Rania Succar
“One of [my motivations] was when I was visiting family in Damascus with my siblings [as a child] … and I thought about how young Syrians coming back [to visit from overseas] could teach a class in English or run a camp, that there would be a two-sided benefit,” she says.
Years later, a gathering in Damascus in March 2011 that brought together Syrian Harvard graduates and others further fuelled ideas about how to connect Syrians at home with those overseas.
“The conversation was all about hope and opportunity,” she recalls.
Twelve years later, Jusoor runs refugee education programmes for close to 15,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon and has secured 390 scholarships for students to study at elite institutions such as Oxford University in England and Columbia University in New York.
It also assists students secure places in institutions in areas with large Syrian communities, such as in southern Turkey, and organises entrepreneurial training and awards funding to start-ups run by Syrians and others across the Middle East.
Jusoor’s wider aim is to fight against the growing possibility of a lost generation of young Syrians due to ongoing economic hardship in the country.
In honour of her work at Jusoor, Ms Succar this week will receive an award from the Centre for Arab American Philanthropy.
“One of the things that we want to do is to increase the expertise that’s connected to Syria – for better policy and business outcomes – because that would mean a better body of research that would then exist for Syria,” says Ms Succar.
There is also a multiplier effect in play, she says. Several early participants in Jusoor programmes have since formed the Syrian Youth Empowerment Initiative, which helps young people apply to and prepare for university.
“They’ve had a tremendous impact helping students getting into top universities,” she says.
Jusoor scholarship recipient Warda Sahtout from Syria. Photo: Warda Sahtout
One beneficiary of the programme is Warda Sahtout from Damascus.
The daughter of Palestinian and Syrian-Kurdish parents, Ms Sahtout graduated with a bachelor's from Damascus University in 2014, at the height of the conflict.
“It was a difficult experience due to the prevailing political and social circumstances. [However] one thing that characterised my experience at that time was a profound sense of mission,” she says.
“I woke up every morning with a clear goal and a solid determination to create positive change.”
After graduating, Ms Sahtout worked with NGOs in Damascus operating in conflict-affected areas across the city, but she felt the need to acquire further training and skills.
She first heard about Jusoor through a boot camp it ran for start-ups. Later, she saw an advertisement for scholarships.
“‘This is for me,’” she recalls thinking. By 2018, she had won a scholarship, through Jusoor, to attend Columbia University.
“I will be grateful my entire life to Jusoor. This opportunity helped me know my abilities and how I can contribute to the world,” she says.
“They helped me not only access a world-class education but professionally helped me gain more exposure to cutting-edge research and a network of professionals.”
Today, Ms Sahtout works with non-profit Compliance and Capacity Skills International, where she was recently made director of project management. She also provides Syrian students with academic guidance, helping to mould future peacemakers.
“My aim is to empower them with the skills to make a positive difference,” she says.
She met Ms Succar in person for the first time at a Jusoor gala last year.
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“She’s an inspiration to many women,” says Ms Sahtout. “She’s always served as a role model for me.”
The road for Jusoor has not always been easy. The conflict in Syria has killed about a half million people and displaced more than 12 million. Today, more than 90 per cent of the population lives in poverty, according to the UN, with access to a quality education out of reach for most.
What’s more, building a non-profit and creating institutional sustainability amid the broader tumult has been challenging.
“It’s very easy to get people together and have a project. But how do you scale it after five, 10, 20 years and keep it growing?” Ms Succar says. “We ensured the funding sources were diverse and constantly injecting new growth and focus.”
For Syrians seeking to team up with Jusoor, the non-profit co-founder has ideal candidates in mind.
“We look for individuals who have excelled both academically and have leadership traits,” she said.
“We’re looking for people who we consider to be change agents that have demonstrated an impact on society around them, that they can lead and organise and mobilise.
“The biggest advice I’d give is to have tremendous tenacity and determination to succeed. It might feel hopeless, but what I’ve seen from Syrian youth is this absolute determination.”
Ep1:A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2:PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3:The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4:Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5:Travel and tourism
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
