This Post was originally written for Global Voices
Always we talk about the social media powerful way of changing lives. If you haven’t heard #BuyPens trending story on Twitter and Facebook for the last week, read this noble story of world collaborating to help a Syrian refugee father who carry his sleeping daughter selling pens in streets of Beirut, Lebanon to fund his survival.
When your country in a war and you see your people under siege suffering hunger and exposing to death, you’d prefer to escape with your kids for a shelter and look for minimum reasons to survive. Abdul Halim Attar is one of over a million Syrian refugees who flee to Lebanon, a Palestinian Syrian from the Yarmouk camp in Damascus. He’s a single father with 2 children, Reem and Abdelillah
Syrian father selling pens in the streets of #Beirut with his sleeping daughter #Lebanon #Syria pic.twitter.com/KOz4mjW1rd
— Gissur Simonarson CN (@GissiSim) August 25, 2015
The story started with this tweet on 25th of Aug when Gissur Simonarson (@GissiSim) an Iceland activist posted a photo of Abdul, a Syrian refugee, selling pens and surprised with a tsunami of sympathy and compassion. The tweet shared 6K and favorited 2.8K. The day next, Simonarson set the twitter account @Buy_Pens for further introduction of Abdul story to the public, looking for him and setup the strategy in 3 points.
1. Couple of things before I go to bed on #BuyPens project. I’m working on getting a trusted connection in Beirut to meet him, once that
— Gissur Simonarson CN (@GissiSim) August 25, 2015
3. on the ground to help get the money for him and deliver it to him. Let’s hope this all works out, and thank you for the support! — Gissur Simonarson CN (@GissiSim) August 25, 2015
News portals and TV rush to the scoop case, SKYNEWS, CNN, ALJAZEERA, NBC, BBC, Mirror, while working with Carol Malouf (@carolmalouf) representing the NGO @leb4refugees on ground to meet Abdul urgent needs.
This photo of a refugee father & daughter selling pens exploded into a #BuyPens campaign that’s raising thousands: https://t.co/KV2HCxsn4P — AJ+ (@ajplus) August 29, 2015
The campaign set to reach $5,000 USD goal in 15 days, however, until writing this material, it succeed in gathering $168,884 USD, raised by 6,375 people in 5 days. The money comes from USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE among other countries in Middle East and Europe.
On how to spend the money raised on his cause, Abdul answered in one phrase: to raise and educate his own children.
So next time when you wonder a way to help any needy, be inspired by this story and donate your time, money or even a tweet, still have 9 days before accomplishing this noble achievement.
ramialhames 