NOVEMBER 2014

doing their bit
Young adults launch Shlama Foundation
BY WEAM NAMOU
“
If we’re going to have any future
in Iraq as Suraya, we have to
work together,” Noor Matti
stresses every day to the board members
of the new Shlama Foundation.
Matti is one of five who established
Shlama Foundation in August.
He lives in Erbil while the others –
Christopher Sesi, Ranna Abro, John
David and Evette Shahara – live in
the United States.
“Because our friend Noor lives
in Erbil, he has a better perspective
of the situation for Christian Iraqis
than anyone else here,” said Sesi.
Matti’s family came to Michigan
when he was 6. As an adult, he applied
to pharmacy school and was accepted,
but decided instead to return
to Iraq.
“I went back because I felt like I
never belonged in Michigan,” he said.
“I’m glad I found my place in life.”
In Iraq, Matti runs a radio station
called Babylon Media, 99.3 FM,
which plays American music. It’s the
only English-speaking station in all
of the country. He visits the United
States about once a year.
When he returned to Iraq from
his last visit in August, he was astonished
at the sight of thousands
of Suraya (Christians) living in the
street and then in tents, in Ankawa.
They had fled ISIS from Mosul and
the Nineveh Plains.
“It became immediately obvious
to do something quickly,” said Sesi.
“Other organizations by now had
done as much as they could, but no
one was really seeing results.”
They first formed a name, Shlama,
which means “peace” – which is
what they ultimately wanted to give
their community back home. Then
they quickly established a secure system
that not only shows where the
money went, but created a relationship
between donor and recipient.
On their website, Shlama.org, a
spreadsheet shows the name of the
donor, the amount given, and a link
to a YouTube video that portrays how
and for whom the money was used,
with photos of the receipts. In each
video, the recipients express their
situation, thank the donor by name
and address how the money has
touched them.
“Having everything documented
and through personalized videos will
help us gain the community’s trust,”
said Abro.
There are 200,000 Christians who
lost their homes this summer, and
some 40,000 to 50,000 are internally
displaced in Dohuk, Erbil and Ankawa.
They all need some kind of help.
Shlama Foundation chooses who to
help by taking a needs assessment.
“It’s stressful because how do you
choose who to help?” said Abro.
“First and foremost, our goal is to
make those struggling through this
dark time aware of the fact that they
are not alone,” said David. “We not
only provide practical necessities,
such as food, clothing and medical
supplies, but we also provide hope
and comfort to our people. We want
them to know that we have not forgotten
them or their struggle.”
Shlama is based and registered in
Kurdistan. One hundred percent of
the work is done in Iraq, but the funding
is operated in the United States
for fear of the Iraqi government ever
shutting down, as happened when the
army of Nineveh fled the region.
Shlama recently collaborated with
Adopt-a-Refugee and Help Iraq to
move 520 people into a building developed
by Fr. Najeeb. Adopt-a-Refugee
funded most of it with the help of
French donors.
Sesi, who is pursuing a medical profession,
has also become involved with
CAMSA (Chaldean American Medical
Student Association), which held
a fundraiser in September that raised
nearly $7,000 for medical care in Iraq.
Abro, who is working on her MBA at
Oakland University, has become involved
with TEACH (Teachers Educating
And Creating Hope).
“We want to set a new standard,
to be open minded with open arms –
to show we can work together, show
transparency and connect diaspora
with people in Iraq,” said Abro.
So what caused this group of twenty-somethings
who except for Matti
were all born in America, to not be
apathetic or complacent about their
homeland?
“I wasn’t willing to hang my hat
and say this is over,” said Sesi. “Our
traditions and cultures are thousands
of years old and that’s nothing to
take lightly. Someday I’d like to visit
Nineveh and see my dad’s house. If
everything works out, one day I will
be able to.”
The message Matti wants to give
to the community in America is,
“better days are ahead.”
“As a nation, we hit rock bottom,”
he said. “So, there’s nowhere
to go but up.”
Learn more at Shlama.org.
Let’s Khigga
Despite its serious mission, Shlama also has a lighter
side. The organization held a Khigga Party on October
17 at the Ultra Hookah Lounge in Shelby Township.
PHOTOS BY RAMIZ TOMINA
Clockwise from left: 1. Co-Founder John David 2. Martin Gorgees, Issak Issak, Robert Issak and Sinan Yousif 3. Rena Sami Youel 4. Basil Hillawi and Mary Malkonian 5. Jana and Khalil Ghazi
24 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2014