Seventeen-year-old Syrian student Aaliya F. is regaining hope: After fleeing and enduring bitter poverty during the civil war, she now feels doubly at home in Aleppo, Syria. With your support, the ISHR was able to guarantee the continuation of her tutoring. After a break of several years, she has caught up on her schoolwork and can now return to regular classes. She hopes to one day have a better life than her parents, who received very little formal education.

Due to her father’s serious illness, her mother is the sole supporter of the family, barely making ends meet on her meagre wages. However, her parents support Aaliya in her decision to pursue a proper school diploma, with a view to further education. Their help also helps to motivate her, as she sees this as a sign of solidarity, as the co-founder of the “Blue Marists” from Aleppo, physician Dr. Nabil Antaki, reported in an email on October 1, 2025. He continued: “Thank you for your continued support. We are very grateful for your friendship.” The “Blue Marists” are a group of brothers from the Catholic religious order and volunteers associated with them.

Members of minorities like Christians desperately need such support at this time. They look back on a year of horror: First, in March, jihadists massacred hundreds of Alawites. Finally, on June 22, a bomb attack at the Greek Orthodox Mar Elias Church in Damascus-Tabbalah killed more than 20 people and wounded 63 others. In the predominantly Druze province of Suwayda, clashes with Sunni Bedouins erupted in July, prompting members of the Syrian armed forces to take sides against the Druze and commit mass murders against this ethno-religious minority.

On October 5, 2025, the first elections after decades of brutal dictatorship and a bloody civil war took place. Observers speak of “managed” parliamentary elections, as committees determine the composition of the parliament. President Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the jihadist al-Nusra Front from 2012 to 2016, also determines the composition of one-third of the parliament. The crimes for which he was responsible remain unpunished.

Just two days after the election, the President of the International Council of the ISHR, Archbishop Professor Thomas Schirrmacher, travelled to Syria with ISHR Secretary General Matthias Böhning. There, they experienced firsthand the mood of many members of religious minorities: The interlocutors have little hope of participating in the constitutional process. In several areas of Syria controlled by Druze and Kurds, the vote had been postponed; their 19 seats remain vacant for the time being. Meanwhile, presidential decrees can only be repealed with a two-thirds majority. “This is a farce.” With these words, the interviewees vented their anger. Christians complained about frequent hate crimes that intimidated and threatened them, whether through derogatory social media posts, propaganda in pamphlets, or direct attacks on the street and in everyday encounters. As they are relegated to second-class citizens, fear for the future gradually displaces any glimmer of hope.

How do the Blue Marists respond to this mood? “We do not allow these worries to dictate our path ,” answers Dr. Antaki . “Living in solidarity with the poorest to alleviate suffering, promote humanity and sow hope” – that is their motto. Their commitment to those in need of help of all ages continues tenaciously and undeterred. Since the suppression of the Arab Spring in 2011, the ISHR has supported this initiative’s humanitarian aid in Syria, and since this year has also been helping young people like Aaliya F. to continue her schooling, which is unaffordable for many families. Through its partnership with the Blue Marists, the ISHR helps provide young people in Syria with access to education and a renewed sense of hope for the future. Demand for such educational opportunities remains high, and ISHR aims to extend this support to an additional 60 children and youth. These programmes contribute to long-term stability and resilience, offering young people the tools they need to rebuild their lives in a time of profound social and economic change.