"Growing up in Syria, I learned the importance of standing up for others and felt compelled to make a bigger impact in this regard. SAP provided me with the opportunity to lobby the idea of Refugee Code Week with UNHCR. The initiative took off and during my visits to host coding workshops at different refugee camps I saw how little things can be everything and beauty can be created from nothing. People used art to normalize the desert-like environment, they painted nature and water scenes on camp fences and discarded bottles were repurposed as flower pots. Nothing was taken for granted. Today, I have a deep appreciation that everything I have is a privilege and I could lose it through no fault of my own. Through Refugee Code Week, we are standing up to help others, already 25,000 people have attended our coding workshops, in 9 countries and more than 80 people have gainful employment."
