Syria has been plagued with civil war since 2011, when anti-regime protests exploded across the country. More than half of the population has fled their homes, and over 12 million struggle to find food each day, according to UN estimates. Due to its relative...
In the barren courtyard of the Diban Health Clinic, roughly a two-hour bumpy drive south of Deir ez-Zor, Syria, a group of local women, clad in colorful hijabs or black niqabs (Islamic garments), wait in line. A team of American Special Operations soldiers and their...
After the Taliban retook Afghanistan, Spirit of America acted quickly to help our loyal Afghan partners who were in danger because of their connections to the United States. Working closely with Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and the US Embassy Tirana, our team...
In October I had the opportunity to travel to Albania and visit with the group of 121 Afghan evacuees that Spirit of America was supporting. As I entered the hotel compound in Shëngjin where the evacuees are staying – an area that had essentially become an impromptu...
Crackles of boiling oil, scrapes of a metal ladle against a giant iron kazan, or Tajik cookpot, and rhythmic chopping of knives on wooden cutting boards created a cacophony that could only mean a delicious meal of Tajik osh, or palov, was to come. In Tajikistan, palov...
At the age of 18, Eid became the sole breadwinner for his family. His father had been a doctor during the war against the Soviets and was tortured during his six to eight months in captivity, leaving him mentally unstable and unable to work. Eid dropped out of high...
Dr. Payab was at work the Sunday that the Taliban took Kabul for a second time. He told his colleagues to go home and destroy any sensitive documents. What was normally a five-minute drive home took Dr. Payab one hour as he navigated the crowded and chaotic streets,...
Prior to the fall of Kabul, Hasib was a PhD holder and worked as a minister of agriculture in Afghanistan. His wife was starting her last year of medical school. Hasib could remember when the Taliban first invaded Afghanistan 20 years ago and he was forced to flee his...
Happy new year. A new year often brings new beginnings, new resolutions, or a recommitment to priorities. At Spirit of America, we remain dedicated to our mission — engaging citizens in preserving the promise of a free and better life. What does that mean for 2022?...
