Blossom Hill Foundation Inc

Program Service AccomplishmentsBetween January and July 2023, Blossom Hill Foundation provided operating grants to 9 organizations:1 - Early Childhood Education in Egypt: This early childhood education program curates a customized culturally relevant curriculum based on Montessori and Waldorf principles to benefit refugee children. It is available on a downloadable app and is being rolled out in a school. The program also conducted 5 professional development trainings, 380 students, and 42 caregivers. 2 - ANKAA Vocational Training Center in Greece: This program creates sustainable livelihoods for displaced people through the provision of numerous vocational training and language workshops that lead to employment. The program enrolled 120 - 150 students who are taking 1-3 classes. Students are offered English and Greek classes, computer, media, cooking as well as workshops in tailoring, carpentry, metalwork, screen-printing, jewelry, electricity, and bike repair. ANKAA students made masks for hospitals and organizations working with vulnerable groups, camps, detention centers, etc.3 - Mobile Info Team in Greece: By using technology, including FB, this program provides vital information, clarification, and assistance in the most relevant languages (Arabic, English, Persian, Urdu, Sorani and French) for refugees seeking asylum and family reunification. They have on average 776 beneficiaries per month, and 74 asylum/reunifications during this period. 4 - Healthy Children Program in Afghanistan: This program provides health care services in hygiene and preventable illnesses (malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea) in two clinics serving the most marginalized populations near Kabul. They expect to reach 2,500 children and 105 trainees. 5 - Sports for All and Fearless Girls in Jordan: This program brings refugee children and youth from all parts of the world together with Jordanians to play soccer and basketball. Through their love of sports, this program is working to integrate them and promote inclusion. So far, 36 children have participated in soccer and 14 in Fearless Girls.6 - El Sistema - Blossom Hill Beginners Orchestra in Greece: This is a youth orchestra that promotes social inclusion of refugee children in Greek society. A total of 109 students enrolled. Performances and classes resumed in person and were very successful. 7 - Coding for Girls in Afghanistan - The first, one and only coding school for girls in Afghanistan provides courses in graphic design and coding for 280 girls in Herat, Afghanistan. The girls are able to earn well above the minimum $150 average monthly salary in Afghanistan, thereby avoiding early marriage and earning a livelihood. 8 - Science United Project in Greece: This program provides a science curriculum with science kits that transcend language barriers. The program delivered 2500 kits for 800 students and conducted workshops for 45 teachers. The kits included videos, translated science vocabulary documents in multiple languages, and activity plans. 9 - Blossom Hill Pads in Afghanistan: To address period poverty, which prevents many Afghan girls from attending school and other activities, this program employs Afghan women to create reusable environmentally-friendly pads that are distributed to marginalized girls in the country. The program will benefit 6,000 girls.Total $ 90,000Between July and December 2023, Blossom Hill Foundation sponsored 14 programs implemented by 17 fellows:1 - Montessori Early Childhood Center in Jordan: This is an Early Childhood Center to support early academic and behavioral needs of young refugees and other vulnerable children through alternative education activities inspired by Montessori methods. The Blossom Hill Early Education Center enrolled 60 children ages 3-5 in Azraq, Jordan.2 - Science United Project in Greece: This program provides a science curriculum with science kits that transcend language barriers. The program delivered 2500 kits to 300 students and completed training sessions for 40 teachers. 3 - College Coaching Youth Empowerment for Syrian and Iraqi youth: This program is designed to prepare refugee high school students for higher education in the United States. It provides TOEFL and SAT preparation classes, as well as one-on-one mentoring through the college application process. A total of 154 students enrolled in this program.4 - Early Childhood Education in Egypt: This early childhood education program curates a customized culturally relevant curriculum based on Montessori and Waldorf principles to benefit refugee children. It is available on a downloadable app and is being rolled out in a school. The program also conducts workshops for parents. To date, it has reached 24 caregivers and 48 children. 5 - Makan Initiative in the West Bank: This program provides critical group and individual therapy to children in 6 refugee camps in the West bank benefitting 180 children with ind. therapy, 600 children with group therapy, and 180 caregivers with workshops, and 60 community based organizations. The children, through interactive play, can heal from the trauma of conflict. They have the opportunity to explore, examine, and express their imagination and process their feelings.6 - El Sistema - Blossom Hill Beginners Orchestra in Greece: This is a youth orchestra that promotes social inclusion of refugee children in Greek society. 111 students have been enrolled for music classes and orchestra performances.7 - Sports for All and Fearless Girls in Jordan: This program brings refugee children and youth from all parts of the world together with Jordanians to play soccer and basketball. Through their love of sports, this program is working to integrate them and promote inclusion. So far, 42 children have participated in football and 48 in Taekwondo.8 - Blossom Hill Pads in Afghanistan: To address period poverty, which prevents many Afghan girls from attending school and other activities, this program employs Afghan women to create reusable environmentally-friendly pads that are distributed to marginalized girls in the country. The program will benefit 6,000 girls.9 - Girls SOAR in Syria: Using a UN-approved curriculum, this program seeks to empower 60 Syrian girls internally displaced in the northwest part of the country. Through various consecutive modules, girls learn their rights, build leadership skills, and gain self-confidence. The goal of the program is to get them back/keep them in school or attend vocational training and to prevent early marriage. 10 - Healthy Children Program in Afghanistan: This program provides health care services in hygiene and preventable illnesses (malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea) in two clinics serving the most marginalized populations near Kabul. They expect to reach 2,500 children and 105 trainees. 11 - Coding for Girls in Afghanistan - The first, one and only coding school for girls in Afghanistan provides courses in graphic design and coding for 400 - 500 girls in Herat, Afghanistan. The girls are able to earn well above the minimum $150 average monthly salary in Afghanistan, thereby avoiding early marriage and earning a livelihood. 12 - Re:coded in multiple Middle Eastern countries: This program provides intensive coding bootcamp in multiple areas as well as introductory workshops for conflict affected youth in multiple Middle Eastern countries. They expect to reach 350 students in bootcamps, 218 students in career coaching, and 1810 in their job search program.13 - Literacy and Tailoring program in Afghanistan: This program aims to empower internally displaced girls in Kabul, Afghanistan to become literate and earn a livelihood through tailoring.. The program's goal is to bring positive change and alleviate poverty in their lives. A total of 300 girls have enrolled in the program. Girls who completed the program are already earning income of an average $110/month; many are just starting their own businesses. 14 - Mobile Info Team in Greece: By using technology, including FB, this program provides vital information, clarification, and assistance in the most relevant languages (Arabic, English, Persian, Urdu, Sorani and French) for refugees seeking asylum and family reunification. It also handles individual cases through their lawyers. MIT has an average of 774 beneficiaries per month, and 98,318 on FB. Total $230,000During 2023, Blossom Hill Foundation supported 4 programs with Emergency relief financial aid:Following the devastating earthquakes that impacted Turkey and Syria, Blossom Hill responded by providing critical needs to three of our programs. 1. RE:coded: Students in our coding bootcamps in Turkey were evacuated and given funds for rent and food for two months; 2. Global Voice for Autism: emergency medications, food, blankets, temporary housing, disability support supplies, and psychological and sensory support were provided for eight families in our education program for autistic children; 3. SOAR program: winter clothi