This week Diana, a Syrian journalist from Al Jazeera, knocked on the door of our office.

“Can I drop off donations here?” she asked. We answered that we don’t have the capacity to accept clothes donations since we focus on more long-term people-to-people engagement.

“Yes yes, I know but I mean donations of money,” she said, telling us that she and some Syrian friends in the Middle East and US had run a fundraising drive to support a refugee project in Germany.

“As Syrians, we know all about what happens when the media hype is over. We’ve been following your work and this is exactly the kind of sustainable engagement we want to support.”

She told us interesting stories of how she’d been involved in refugee projects on the frontline in Hungary, her time in Berlin, how the governments in the Middle East are dealing with the refugee topic and much more. Then she handed over an envelope with a big cash donation and flew back to Doha.

DIANA AL RIFAI, AMER DARWISH, SAMER DARWISH, NASSER SELO – we feel very honoured that you chose to support our project and yes, you are right; our engagement will by no means slow down when the media hype is over!

Photo: Diana with GSBTB staff Lucy and Alessia.