Escaping one of the most brutal civil wars in modern history and settling in Lebanon; a country where youth are the only source of hope for a brighter future, a group of intelligent and promising Syrian refugee students initiated Team Hope in 2016 to revive the hope for refugees across the globe. With the limited educational resource and opportunities in the host country, the challenges accompanying transitioning to a new educational curriculum, and the scarcity of hands-on learning experience and vocational training within the Lebanese curriculum, Multi-Aid Programs non-governmental humanitarian organization through Team Hope embarked on an educational revolution by integrating STEM education in its non-formal education curriculum.

With this initiative, Team Hope enrolled in various training courses which prepared them to win more than 20 awards on the national level and one award on the regional level in addition to 7 awards on the international level. Most recently, Team Hope prevailed the first place in the SUMO challenge and the second place in the RACE challenge through the ARC competition that was organized across Lebanon. This triumph has qualified Team Hope to travel to Japan and participate in further competitions for the year 2023.

Throughout 2017 till 2023, Team Hope participated in the FIRST Global Challenge representing all refugees around the world and earned three awards on the international level with their great achievement of winning first place in the FIRST Global Challenge in Dubai. Due to all preceding accomplishments, Team Hope captured international attention and gained fame as it was welcomed in Washington D.C at the White House, the House of Representatives, and the United States Congress and was highlighted by prominent newspapers and social media platforms such as Washington Post, the Guardian, and NowThis.

“Hope is born from the womb of suffering”; this phrase truly describes the journey of Team Hope and other refugee students who defeated the bitterness of the war and the deteriorating living conditions to prove resilience and inspire all vulnerable children around the world. Team Hope was able to reform the perception regarding refugees from dependent individuals to independent and capable ambassadors of hope and willing change-makers who are thriving to rebuild their country again.

Team members:

1. Haitham Jamour, a 16-year-old high school student, is passionate about robotics and dreams of becoming a successful computer engineer. He joined the robotics team to pursue his passion and to make his country proud. Haitham’s dedication and drive make him a promising competitor in robotics. His role in the team is focused on designing the robot, the movement mechanism, and the joystick control.

2. Ahmad Al Sharbaji, is an 18-year-old high school student. He enjoys working on robots because he believes that technology and programming are integrated in the functioning of almost everything. Ahmad perceives the robotics domain as an opportunity to improve his mechanical skills which will prepare him to continue his higher education in mechanical engineering. Ahmad’s role in the team is concentrated on robot programming and joystick control.

3. Shahd Al-Mrayati, is a 16-year-old first-year high school student. Shahd dreams of becoming a computer engineer. She is working hard to gain programming and robotics skills to make her dream come true. Shahd also strives to show the world her potential as a refugee by participating in this competition. Her role in the team is to design the engineer’s notebook and conduct research.

4. Tasneem Misho is a 16-year-old student. She loves engaging in robotics and values this domain as it taught her how to think logically and critically. Tasneem wishes that one day she will become a programmer or a professor in one of the top prestigious universities. Her role in the team is to design the engineer’s notebook, conduct research, and assist in robot programming.

5. Lana Al-Sabbagh is an 8th-grade student who is very interested in learning robotics. She aims to pursue a university degree in informational technology. Her role in the team is to help the team in robot programming.

6. Youmna Al Halabi, a 16-year-old high school student. Youmna has shown interest in robotics since she was a child. Yomna is driven by her passion for robotics and dreams of creating robots that can solve real-life problems. She dreams of becoming a successful robotics engineer in the future. Youmna’s role in the team is to design the engineer’s notebook and conduct research.

7. Mohammad Al Sabbagh, is a 16-year-old high school student. Mohammad’s passion for robotics drove him to join the team. Mohammad hopes one day to become a successful pilot whom his country will be proud of. His role includes handling programming tasks in collaboration with other team members.

8. Louai Nakkash is a 15-year-old school student. To develop himself in robotics, Louai decided to join the robotics team. He hopes one day to become a computer engineer and to make his family and friends proud of him. Louai’s role includes creating and editing the design of the robot.

9. Youssef Al-Shihab is a 14-year-old student at MAP’s Science and Values School. Youssef loves programming and appreciates its role in life so he decided to join the team. He aims to become an outstanding teacher and a successful programmer. Youssef’s role in the team is concentrated on robot programming.

10. Nour Aldeen Alsheble, is a 16-year-old school student. Nour enjoys being involved in the robotics club. She values this domain as it taught her to think logically and critically and believes this would allow her to change the world through robotics. Nour collaborates with other team members to design the robot and perform mechanical and engineering tasks.

Mentors:

Team Hope has one primary mentor; Mr. Yamen Najjar. He works as the manager of the Continuing Education and Community Service (CECS) program at Multi Aid Programs NGO (MAPs). He has a professional background in computer science and was the team mentor in 2019 when Team Hope won the competition.

The other team mentor is Mr. Mohamad Marwa. He supervises the robotics and innovation project at MAPs. Mr. Mohamad has a professional background in mechanical engineering and has been the technical mentor for Team Hope until this date; he supervises robot design and assembly.

Team Media

Thank you to our supporters!