IRAQI AND SYRIAN STUDENT PROJECT INC

WHAT IS OUR ORGANIZATION AIMING TO ACCOMPLISH?
The Iraqi Student Project (ISP) is a grass-roots effort to help war-displaced Iraqi students acquire the education they need to participate in rebuilding their country. ISP seeks the help of US colleges, universities, and a host of generous volunteers to accomplish this goal. Since 2007, ISP has sponsored sixty-two (62) Iraqi students. The most recent "Class of 2016" began studies in Fall 2012. Through a program which believes (and takes as its motto) that "Establishing peace is the work of education . . . ." (Maria Montessori), we aim to make the world a more peaceful place by displacing ignorance and strife with knowledge and acceptance.

WHAT ARE OUR STRATEGIES FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN?
Through its Staff and Board of Directors, and with the help of many volunteers and donors, the Iraqi Student Project:
--Secures tuition waivers (or other forms of assistance such as scholarships) from U.S. colleges and universities for qualified undergraduates who have studied in Iraq but were displaced by the war.
--Works impartially to identify, screen and recommend students from Iraq for tuition waivers based on their academic records, English language ability, economic need, and overall likelihood of success.
--Assists leaders in local communities in forming support groups for each student and provides the groups with the advice and counsel they may need to meet the emotional, financial, and social needs of the student.
--Promotes its mission and accomplishments to a broad spectrum of the American people.
--Develops fundraising capacity to enable its work to move forward.

WHAT ARE OUR ORGANIZATION'S CAPABILITIES FOR DOING THIS?
Our capabilities for fulfilling our mission lie in great part in the hands and hearts of peace-loving and generous American citizens who share our resolve to do what we can to make reparation for the tragedy that was/is Iraq. Although ISP is not a faith-based organization, many of our supporters are motivated by their religious convictions and the compassion with which those convictions are put into practice. Although outrage is an understandable response to the horrors of a decade of sanctions followed by a decade of war, it is empathy for those who suffered which motivates our leadership and those who support us.

WHAT HAVE AND HAVEN'T WE ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR?
Since 2007, ISP has sponsored sixty-two (62) Iraqi students. All but six of those completed their undergraduate studies, several with honors. Most have been accepted into internships or Optional Practical Training programs in pursuit of graduate studies. The most recent "Class of 2016" (eight students) began studies in Fall 2012. What we have not accomplished is a workable response to the violence in Syria where our preparatory program was located (in Damascus) until August 2012.