By Chris Todd, English Copywriter at Generations For Peace

Her life was defined by an event that began 7 years ago today. To many, she is just one of 11 million – a mere number. But Ruba is more than a statistic: she is a mother, a daughter, a friend who, like many, has been deeply impacted by the Syrian Civil War. The conflict has cost the lives of over 500,000 men, women, and children, caused the displacement of millions, and stolen from Ruba her home, her family, and her life.

Yet in some ways, she is one of the “lucky ones.” The “lucky ones” who have stayed alive, but who have fled to foreign and unfamiliar lands to escape their war-torn homes. The “lucky ones” who barely made it across borders, who have spent years trying to settle in a new land, who seek comfort for the trauma that bars them from sleep, from well-being, from peace. The “lucky ones” who are too often unable to find it.

Ruba is up against seemingly impossible odds that her own choices did not merit, facing a new life that she did not ask for.

But Ruba has found a source of hope. She joined Generations For Peace and works with youth from Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian backgrounds, bringing them together to build peace through sport and arts. Her work has brought peace to her own life and to those of countless others for and alongside whom she works.


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