Help me bring a wave of peace!

Have you ever thought of how it would feel to be separated from your family, your friends, or your homeland without knowing whether you will see them again? This is what happened to many of my compatriots escaping from the war in Syria, or those who were already abroad without the possibility to come back home.

Today, I have a dream that I want to share with you. I am dreaming of peace in Syria. I am dreaming that people will not need to risk their lives anymore to be safe; that I will be able to talk to my mum not only on the phone; that all Syrians can not only live in present, but also plan their future.

I am eternally grateful for all the and opportunities that I have received here in the UK but having had this unique chance I can no longer stand idle while those compatriots less lucky than me risk their lives everyday crossing the sea seeking refuge in Europe

I cannot stop the war, but I can swim. I can share the perils that my people pass through by swimming the English Channel and through it share my dreams, voice, and hopes. I have proudly represented my country in international swimming competitions and, today, I want to commit to you to swim across the Channel in August 2019. As symbol of reunification between those Syrian families that have been separated by the war; I will swim in the opposite direction from which refugees come to the UK to show the incoherence of war and to send a message of peace.

Why am I doing this?

Swimming across the channel is highly symbolic to me for many reasons and a metaphor of what many of us have gone through in the past few years.

First, I will swim in the opposite direction of the flows of refugees that came to the UK to show the incoherence of the War and send a message of peace. Taking this direction is optional for me and, by doing so, I want to bring hope to all refugees that they will have the option one day of choosing the direction they want to take, both while travelling but also in life.

Although I did not have to go through this dangerous journey, I still suffer from the separation from my beloved ones. I live the UK and I was separated from my sister for 4 years until she moved to France one year ago. I still have not seen my mum and my dad. Swimming to meet my sister in France will represent the efforts and the struggle that all refugees go through to reach their beloved ones.

Waves can go up to two meters and crossing them will represent the emotions I went through all these years while facing uncertainty regarding the safety of my relatives. While swimming, I will be deported by the current and I will have to accept events and put efforts to overcome them. This will represent the resilience of many refugees in the face of adversity.

To accomplish this mission, I will also need to take risks. It is easy for people to imagine how demanding it is to swim for 32 kilometres in difficult conditions. However, it is much harder to understand what refugees in TV news or in statistics are going through. Through my project, I want to raise awareness on real life heroes and bring a message of peace.

Where will the money go?

I am raising money for Sawa for Development & Aid to support children's in refugee camps in Lebanon. Below is a detailed breakdown of the costs:

For £31, you can sponsor one child for one month. For £384, you can sponsor one child for one year. For £15, you can sponsor one child with sport uniform. For £300, you can sponsor a whole classroom with sport uniform.

I am happy to reply to questions about my project via email: zeina-alsharkas@hotmail.com

External Links

BBC article -Syrian lecturer in 'symbolic' English Channel swim bid

BBC video