Mission Statement
We are a non-profit organization bringing hope to the refugee communities globally; by providing shelter, food and basic essentials necessary for everyday survival. Employing refugees to advise on and complete projects within their communities to provide long term sustainability during times of conflict.
Sarah Herman-
Executive Director
The photographic image can invoke feelings, trigger thoughts, and project perceptions to be pondered. It may be a single moment in time or achieved over many years of documentation. Documenting the world around us allows others to view the world with empathy, evoke change, engage in conversation and overcome apathy.
Working over the past five years, documenting the intimate interior lives of refugees within the Middle East has prepared Sarah to meet the challenge of stepping away from the lens and directly impacting the lives of those she has photographed. Armed with her camera and degrees in both Business Management and Liberal Arts her years of experience have prepared her to successfully navigate both the business aspects and humanitarian heart of a non-profit.
Sarah has worked individually and collaboratively to create images for national and international NGO'S, editorials, national museums and universities. Her documentary work has been published in journals and displayed in gallery shows. Her expertise has been lended to advisory panels and she often speaks to Universities and corporations addressing the complex issues of women in journalism and documenting refugee life. www.sarahhermanphoto.com
Wendy Holtvluwer-
Board of Directors
Ms. Holtvluwer has extensive experience in working with Michigan nonprofit corporations, charitable trusts and unincorporated associations. She works with clients to determine which charitable vehicle best suits their needs.She is listed in the "Best Lawyers in America®" for Non-Profit / Charities Law, and Trusts and Estates. Ms. Parr Holtvluwer is on the Development Committee for the Grand Rapids Civic Theatre. She was formerly on the Board of Directors for the Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism (GRACE) and was previously a member of the Porter Hills Foundation Planned Giving Committee. She also serves on the VanAndel Institute Junior Professionals Board.
Sam H. Ali Ali-
Director of Lebanon refugee advisory Committee
A year and half ago a man named Sam sat beside photojournalist Sarah Herman in a tribal meeting within a refugee camp, tap her on the shoulder and introduced himself. The week spent in the camps in Beqqa Valley, Lebanon would forever change her life in more ways than she could possibly imagine. A bond and then a friendship formed between Sam and herself through WhatsApp and daily conversations about family, religion and life within the camps. Sam offered a first hand perspective on the intimate interior life of refugee family by providing video and images daily throughout the past year. Sam has become much more than a friend, Sarah considers him a part of her family.
Sam, a Syrian refugee was forced from his home seven years ago at the start of the ongoing Syrian civil war. He along with his six brothers and two sisters were forced from their home and made the perilous journey from Homs, Syria to Northern Lebanon. Sam married, Waad and had a son, Waled 3 ½ and a daughter Mais, six months while living in the Lebanese refugee camps. Over the past three years Sam, with the support of his wife Waad has pursued and graduated from technical training in website development and non-profit development through the American University of Beirut, traveling more than an hour each way by bus. He has continued to take language classes in English and volunteers his time to various NGO’s working through Lebanon in support of refugee issues. He and his family currently reside in a camp in Northern Lebanon.
Dr. Houssam Attal-
Director of United States Refugee Advisory Committee
Houssam Attal is a pathologist, enthusiast photographer, a part-time farmer, and a world traveler. He moved to Grand Rapids in 1997, where he lives with his wife and three kids. Since the war broke out in Syria, he devoted his spare time to helping refugees arriving in Grand Rapids. As an immigrant himself he realizes the challenges immigrants face in general. He also recognized the challenges facing refuges from war zones in particular as many members of his own family were displaced. The challenges are not limited to learning English and adjusting culturally, but also involve raising kids in a new environment, adjusting to new schooling systems, navigating the health care networks, establishing reliable transportation, and finding supportive jobs. His goal was not only support the refugees physically and emotionally, but also to help them incorporate in west Michigan society. Also, he worked to raise awareness of the refugee’s plight, correct misconceptions about refugees, and extend governmental and NGOs support to them.