Rafif Jouejati Reporting from Syria

NVI Board Chair, Rafif Jouejati reporting from Syria

Day 10:

Last full day in Damascus: A few positive meetings and met some lovely people whose paths I should have crossed long ago.

This evening, heated debates about the current situation. In the final analysis, we all came away with the same conclusions:

1. Support the current authorities during this delicate time.

2. Push back loudly when there are transgressions.

3. Either create employment opportunities or support employment initiatives. I also heard from a student representing many of his university peers (“we want to stay and rebuild, but we need jobs”).

4. Support civil society efforts by becoming active (or more active), encouraging organizations to collaborate, and highlighting the importance of including women at all levels of government and society.

5. Be Syrian - drop any sectarian narrative, try to actively listen to other perspectives, and unlearn habits that crept into our identities after so many decades of savage rule.

I am going to miss Damascus, and will be back in April. Hopefully my airport departure experience tomorrow will be as positive as my arrival was.

Here are some random photos: The Four Seasons Hotel, aka UN headquarters; the statue of Yusuf Al-Azmeh (battle of Maysaloon) (I think that’s correct and I’m sure better-informed people will comment if not); and a a Bee Order (food delivery - like UberEats or Glovo) driver.

May be an image of 3 people, monument and skyscraper

May be an image of text that says 'ROURSBASONSHOTEL FOUR SEASONS HOTEL'

May be an image of 1 person and text that says '超0月 nDD 3580 BEE ORDER'

Day 9:

Day 9 in Damascus: My favorite words have become يلعن روحك and النظام المخلوع. I repeat them while listening to the nightly gunfire from Mazzeh 86.

The emotional roller-coaster continues as I swing between crazy optimism and depression at the thought of what it actually means to rebuild the country. As I said to an EU representative: “we are being asked to rebuild a country and comply with your priorities, all while being handcuffed by your sanctions.”

I have never before met (in person) people so resilient, so committed, or so generous. The cab driver who triples the fare upon hearing a foreign accent is helping his family and others. The kids selling tissues while dodging traffic are often their families’ breadwinners. Many people have two or three jobs, yet manage to volunteer to support families in need.

The other thing that hits hard: you can watch videos all day long, but it’s difficult to understand the extent of Assad’s savagery - against anyone and anywhere that opposed him - until you see it in person. Entire towns are reduced to rubble, the souls of thousands of dead whispering يلعن روحك

How could the world allow this to happen? How can the internationals continue to impose sanctions designed to punish النظام المخلوع؟

Tomorrow I will have the last of my meetings and take the photos that I promised to a close relative. My “listening tour” is almost over, and I’ve heard some great ideas for large and small projects that can by funded by Syrians, for Syrians. FREE-Syria and all the other hardworking organizations have our work cut out for us.

And friends, get ready, we’re going to ask you to donate generously to giving campaigns for Ramadan and Easter.

Day 8:

Day 8 in Damascus: Yesterday, I was calling it a disaster. Today, I’m feeling extremely positive and am going to ramble a bit.

I believe there are enough Syrians willing to commit to this national experiment to make it happen.

My conversations with people - from the highly intellectual to the political to the community organizers - make me feel that we are heading in the right direction. I met with quite a few young people who are clear-headed, ambitious, and capable. They’re ready.

Today, there were more traffic police in Damascus and they were actually managing traffic. I saw more sanitation workers actually collecting garbage. It’s amazing what a smile and a thank you can do, while knowing that nearly all are hungry.

Despite my optimism today, I know that the road to Syrian-style democracy is paved with spoilers and other human land mines. We need to call out those who spread malicious rumors & misinformation and those who commit transgressions on personal freedoms. We need sanctions to be lifted.

FREE-Syria is going to undertake several initiatives and do our best to make meaningful contributions as all of us slowly but surely #RebuildSyria. The bridge of freedom is here.

May be an image of 1 person, monument and text

Day 7:

Day 7 in Damascus: Mostly administrative: I met with the excellent folks at BEMO Bank; they are offering competitive packages to nonprofit orgs. That’s a major step for FREE-Syria when we can open an office here.

My trip is starting to wind down, but not without a flurry of meetings in the next couple of days with a variety of organizations and activists. We have a lot of work ahead.

The enthusiasm to #RebuildSyria may ebb and flow, but I think President Al-Sharaa’s visits have renewed peoples’ resolve. Let’s hope for a better future - the Syrian people certainly deserve it.

Here are some of my favorite pics from the past few days. Some are repeats, sorry!

May be an image of 1 person No photo description available. May be a doodle of ‎text that says '‎داریا حرة لاحلا نور حلا パ R * 天 ያላሂ سررون 8/1235 2023‎'‎ May be an image of ‎5 people, street, newsstand and ‎text that says '‎מווה वाा صيدلية العطار alattar الفوفر ببت E=MC ery= Energy=MyCoffce My Coffee But Butfirst, first, 開 JELE GLP N.N.G 提代 20883‎'‎‎

Day 6:

Day 6: Walking tour of the Old City with one of my lovely cousins. I know a lot of people talk about how they have always loved Damascus. I never felt that way until yesterday’s walk. There was optimism and history and chaos all around me, and I fell in love.

https://www.facebook.com/rafif.jouejati/posts/10230312584062120

Day 5:

Day 5: Here’s part of my walk around my old neighborhood and what’s left of the presidential palace, where kids found underground tunnels full of weapons on Dec. 9, 2024. More later.

https://www.facebook.com/1342126549/videos/1363902061299956/

Day 4:

Day 4 in Damascus - I discussed a few potential projects with a few very smart ladies (you know who you are!) and came away feeling very positive. We can and will create employment opportunities. I believe FREE-Syria (please check out www.freesyria-foundation.org) can play a role, as will other civil society organizations like بيتنا Baytna and The Day After TDA اليوم التالي and a host of others. Today alone, I heard of at least a dozen small initiatives that committed Syrians are implementing as part of their contribution to the rebuilding effort. But just as CSOs and small associations are critical to progress, sanctions are the biggest obstacle. Syrians need to do this themselves.

I spent the rest of the day in Jaramana, where community policing is in effect. I enjoyed listening to people who were free to express their fears, concerns, and disapproval of the current situation and the Al Sharaa government. While euphoria may have ebbed, the desire to express political opinions has not.

I heard alarming reports of breaches - attempted kidnappings and break-ins, segregation of men and women. In one reported incident, a husband and wife were in their car, with their kids, a girl and a boy were in the back. A random security officer demanded that the women ride in the back “because women cannot be seated next to men.” I learned today just how willing the people of Jaramana are to stand up for their rights.

The most interesting discussions centered around identity, and coincidentally, I will be attending a talk on identity tomorrow.

If we can be Syrian first and foremost, we can regain our identities. If we can respect all those who practice whatever religion suits them, we can regain a sense of security at some level. If we can join forces and uplift one another, we can take a huge leap into recovering from more than five decades of mistrust.

Video (again, poor quality) is from the drive into Jaramana and past the Jaramana Palestinian camp. The cab driver was hilarious. I also thought I took a video of the drive down Abou Roumaneh but realized I had forgotten to press record.

https://www.facebook.com/1342126549/videos/2720803901432351/

Day 3:

Day 3 in Damascus - feels like I’ve been here much longer! The limited hot water, heat, and electricity are humbling and make you realize how important it is to be grateful for whatever we have.

Quotes from today’s conversation: “We’re afraid of Al-Jolani; he and his sort practice the wrong kind of Islam,” “I love Ahmad Al-Sharaa,” “why isn’t he communicating with the people?” Another: “Who is America to teach us lessons in democracy?”

I was told that but for their deep faith, Syrians would not have been able to survive the past 13+ years. Another person said, “We’re asking for a roof over our heads. We don’t need electricity, we don’t need internet. He (Assad) is gone. We just need a roof to protect us from the rain and cold.”

From others, I heard three consistent messages: “We don’t want sectarianism.” “Give us the electricity you promised.” “Where are the salaries?”

The displays of wealth (The Four Seasons Hotel, Emporio Armani, Zara - more like Zara on steroids) would be okay, except that less than 20 miles away there are suburbs that are totally demolished and people who cannot afford to eat. Once you’ve seen something, you can’t un-see it.

In the Old City, hauntingly beautiful dlespite years of neglect, an elderly woman - a stranger - kissed my face when I gave her some money. She said, and I believed her, that she had not eaten in 2 days.

Every walk and every visit brings tears of sadness and joy. Optimism and devastation are competing forces here.

Last night, someone told me, “if you want change in Syria, get involved.” They’re right.

https://www.facebook.com/1342126549/videos/pcb.10230270511570334/1372183190626536

https://www.facebook.com/1342126549/videos/pcb.10230270511570334/1372183190626536

Day 2:

Day 2 in Damascus: There is so much to reflect on - from the realities of having electricity for only 1 or 2 hours per day, to seeing extreme poverty all over the city. The most common complaints I’ve heard so far: lack of salaries and lack of electric power. Don’t even get me started on the challenges of civil society organizations whose funding has been frozen or greatly diminished.

I spoke with a few young people who see no real hope for the future. The euphoria we all saw right after the collapse seems to be disappearing. But it’s only Day 2…hopefully I’ll hear more optimistic views from family and friends in the days to come.

On the brighter side, I was honored to visit the headquarters of A Drop of Milk Society, a 100+-year-old institution that provides the neediest of families with baby milk and medical care. I’ll write more about نقطة حليب in a post at www.freesyria-foundation.org in a few days.

Here’s a photo of what’s left of the passport office. The taxi driver I spoke with said, “it was 100% the Israelis. When they burned the building, they burned our souls.”

Day 1:

Warning: very amateur video from a car

What Assad left behind: devastation.

“Reconstruction” sounds like it’s about patching up a few buildings. It doesn’t convey the thousands of families living in stairwells in the bitter cold, or the number of souls lost, their bodies decayed under the rubble. This little video doesn’t even show the worst of it.

What were those sanctions doing?

https://www.facebook.com/rafif.jouejati/videos/1993424387835513

Latest posts

Solidarity in Action: Resisting Occupation in Palestine and Minnesota

I have been having a rough time since I returned from Palestine to Minnesota at the end of November. I really wasn't prepared to leave an occupied territory to return to Minnesota to another occupied territory. While I am not trying to claim an equivalency, it seemed liked the brutality had followed me home.

As many of you know, last September I was beaten up by an Israeli settler and hospitalized for five days and had minor surgery. And my wounds paled to what I was seeing in the streets of the Twin Cites and escalating in the villages of the West Bank. To be honest, there were times when I searched and could not find hope. Yet, I could sense something more durable that kept me going. I sensed it in Palestine and then I saw it emerge in Minnesota. It's like a "no frills" compassion where people sense the next right thing and just go do it, sometimes in an organized strategic way and sometimes spontaneously. Somehow, sometimes deep inside us we know what to do and find the courage to do it. I saw it when my friends stood boldly in a scorching sandy desert protecting shepherd's homes as they were spat on and clubbed by Israeli settlers. And I saw it when friends stood up to armored ICE agents trying to snatch our new neighbors on icy streets in freeing temperatures. And this compassion comes on so many other levels: sharing food, giving rides, washing clothes, demonstrating, paying rent, singing, providing legal assistance and just being present.

Who knows whether this gritty compassion can withstand the whirling violence that encircles us but we must make the attempt. As my old friend Gary Cohen reminded me the other day, "Even when its hopeless, you resist. It's your humanity. It's your self-respect."

Please join me on Monday at 11:30 am central US time, 12:30 pm eastern US time, 4:30 pm UTC and 6:30 pm Jerusalem time for a conversation with people in Palestine and Minnesota who continue to compassionately resist. My friend Anton Goodman of Rabbis for Human Rights has been added to the program,

With grit, grief and love,

Mel Duncan

Join Nonviolence International for a webinar on March 16, Monday, at 11:30am CT and 6:30pm Jerusalem time, entitled Solidarity in Action: Resisting Occupation in Palestine and Minnesota. This will be a conversation among Palestinian and Minnesota activists about nonviolent resistance to occupation and state violence. This webinar brings together organizers from two contexts where communities are confronting intensified state control, displacement and militarized enforcement: one new, in Minnesota, where federal immigration enforcement actions, characterized by a large deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents and have been resisted by community protests, grassroots defense and community building efforts have deeply impacted families and organizers, and veterans in the West Bank, where decades of military occupation shape everyday life and resistance, and have seen an increase of violence in the last months.

While there is no equivalency in duration or depth of violence and impunity, we have an opportunity to learn from people who have resisted occupation their entire lives and from those who may or may not have experienced it comparatively recently. Speakers will share their lived experiences, contrast strategies of resistance, shared learning and explore opportunities for solidarity and collective action. Through this exchange, we aim to center community agency, hope, and shared learning, and uplifting practices of resilience and organizing.

The webinar will be hosted by Mel Duncan, from Minnesota, co-founder of the Nonviolent Peaceforce and organizer of the Unarmed Civilian Protection in Palestine (UCPiP). And speakers include Amira Musallam, Head of Mission of UCPiP, Maddie Moon, Minnesota community organizer, and Emilia Gonzalez Avalos, Executive Director for UNIDOS MN.

Join us for this important conversation by registering here.

Goals:

Share lessons learned from grassroots resistance in both contexts

Build and invite compassion and mutual understanding

Identify opportunities for solidarity and collaboration between movements fighting occupation, displacement, and state violence

Sami Awad Visiting DC (Thurs & Fri) - Rethinking Resistance

NVI Internship Opportunity

Are you passionate about active nonviolence, social justice, and global movements for change? Do you want hands-on experience in nonprofit management, digital organizing, and international event coordination?

As a small but globally engaged organization, NVI relies on interns as integral members of our work. You will gain meaningful experience supporting programs, communications, digital outreach, and nonprofit operations while contributing directly to global nonviolent movements.

What You’ll Gain

Direct exposure to global nonviolent activism and movement-building
Experience in virtual event coordination and webinar production
Hands-on nonprofit management and operations training
Opportunity to shape and invest in projects aligned with your interests

Interns work closely with staff while also exercising independence, creativity, and initiative.
With guidance from staff, each intern will split their time between programmatic support, organizational outreach, and administrative tasks. Interns will also have the opportunity to invest significant time and work within their preferred projects of choice.

Internship Structure

Remote position, from anywhere in the world
From June to December 2026
Must be able to commit to 2-3 team meetings per week at 9:30AM ET
Minimum of 15 hours per week
$500 USD monthly stipend
Available to students and non-students
Can be arranged for academic credit
Possibility of extension by mutual agreement

Our Commitment to Equity

As nonviolent activists committed to social justice, we recognize that systems of violence disproportionately impact marginalized communities. We are committed to centering these communities in our work and strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify as members of marginalized communities.

Responsibilities

Event Management

Support organizing and delivering global webinars
Assist with technical management of live virtual events
Engage diverse international audiences

Communications & Outreach

Create website updates and blog posts
Develop content for YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook
Monitor and engage with online supporters
Assist with digital storytelling and movement visibility

Data Management

Update and expand the Nonviolent Tactics database (MySQL)
Support maintenance of the nonviolence training archive (Omeka)

Website Maintenance

Update and manage content using Nation Builder

Operations Support

Learn internal donation workflows and how to use Zapier
Understand nonprofit compliance and responsibilities
Support organizational systems and administrative tasks

Qualifications

We take a holistic approach to applications. We understand that your talents and lived experiences extend far beyond a one-page resume. While educational background and professional experience are considered, we equally value passion, curiosity, initiative, and commitment to nonviolent social change.

How to Apply

Please apply through our Idealist ad and send us the requested information and documents until April 23, 2026.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected].

Civil Society Must Act: Sign the NGO Appeal to Stop Escalation

Dear Friends,

The Middle East (West Asia), and the world, are facing deeply dangerous moments.

The recent war by the United States and Israel on Iran has pushed an already fragile region closer to a wider and potentially devastating war. In moments like this, it can feel as though the machinery of violence moves unchecked, while ordinary people and civil society are left watching helplessly.

But history reminds us that this is precisely when our voices matter most.

Civil society has always carried a sacred responsibility in times of crisis: to speak when others are silent, to insist on humanity when violence dominates the headlines, and to remind the world that another path, embedded in nonviolence, is still possible.

A coalition of organizations is therefore launching an urgent international petition calling for immediate de-escalation, restraint, ceasefire and diplomacy instead of further militarization.

In the midst of despair, this is our moment to act together.

We invite NGOs, human rights organizations, faith communities, peace networks, and civil society groups to add their voices, to affirm that the expansion of the war is not inevitable.

Please sign your organization’s name to the appeal here by Tuesday, 10 March 2026.

This petition recognizes and encourages governments that have shown restraint, while urging all parties to step back from the brink and pursue diplomacy, accountability, and international law. But signing the petition is only the beginning.

At this critical time, we also encourage you to:

Contact your government representatives and urge them to support immediate de-escalation and ceasefire efforts.
• Share this appeal with partner organizations and networks so that more civil society groups can join.
• Speak publicly for peace and for the protection of civilians across the region.

There are moments in history when the future feels uncertain and dark. Yet those same moments have often become the turning points when ordinary people and courageous organizations refused to accept that violence was inevitable.

We cannot control the decisions of governments or armies. But we can ensure that the voice of humanity, justice, and nonviolence is heard clearly across the world. Hope is not passive. It is something we practice together.

Let us take up that responsibility now.
Feel free to reach us at [email protected] or +1-202-244-0951.

In solidarity,

Nonviolence International