Project 1 - Za'atari, Where it all started

Location: Za'atari Refugee Camp

Reach: 120 Kids

Year: 2016

Zaid came back to Jordan in June of 2015 after graduating from his master's degree that took place in Madrid and also after spending time in Johannesburg working with a foundation that cared for orphaned and vulnerable children living in rural communities in that same year.

The idea of The Orenda Tribe came to Zaid at the start of 2015, yet like most MBA graduates, he went back home to a better corporate career and continued his life normally.

Nevertheless, The Orenda Tribe accompanied Zaid in his mind and heart all the time, and his close friends and family, especially his grandmother always asked him if he took any steps towards implementing the idea. Until one day, Zaid decided to take action and contacted Save the Children for his first project and they decided to start in Za'atari Refugee Camp.

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Save the Children asked Zaid to pledge to give back to the camp regardless of the result of his project or the sales of The Orenda Tribe and he agreed. That same summer in August of 2015, Zaid took with him paper and crayons and went with a team from Save the Children to Za'atari Refugee Camp.

Filled with the excitement of laying the first stones for building The Orenda Tribe, and with no expectations Zaid went into a caravan with Save the Children's team and a group of children from the camp and he then impulsively started drawing fish on a piece of paper to break the ice and that is when Mohammad a 10 year old Syrian child sitting next to him followed path and drew a group of fish, which encouraged all of the children and even save the children's staff to join in and draw and the room was filled with happiness and positive energy.

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Zaid left the camp determined to start The Orenda Tribe and after a few months, quit his job and worked on the designs of the first t-shirt collection with artwork inspired from the first art activity that took place in Za'atari Refugee Camp.

Even before the t-shirts arrived, The Orenda Tribe donated art supplies, furniture and educational toys to fill four caravans at Za'atari Refugee Camp that served Women at the camp who were seeking help from Save the Children during the day and needed a safe place for their children.

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The project is the kick start of The Orenda Tribe's Art for Hope initiative that aims to spread purposeful art and stories into refugee camps, children's hospitals, orphanages and public schools.

#ArtforHope