The Weight of a Promise: A Story of Loss and Hope in Arbat

I want to tell you about Jodi. He was just 14 when I first met him during our 2017 pilot program in Arbat Refugee Camp. You know those kids who light up a room? That was Jodi - bright eyes, endless energy, always the first hand up in class. He was one of twenty-five students in that first group, and his intelligence and enthusiasm were unforgettable.

Photo of Jodi playing basketball with Halo, our teaching assistant, Summer 2017

When I returned to Arbat in the summer of 2019 with our revamped program - what would become Hello Future - I learned news that still haunts me today. "Jodi passed away," they told me. I remember saying "Okay" at first, the words not really registering. It took hearing it a second time for the reality to pierce through.

Jodi's story is one that breaks my heart but also fuels our mission. When he turned 15 - the legal working age in Kurdistan - his family had to make an impossible choice. With survival on the line, they pulled him from school to work construction with his uncle. One day, there was an accident at the site. Neither Jodi nor his uncle survived. He was still just 15.

But this story doesn't end there.

Three weeks ago, I watched Jodi's little sister Jehan graduate from our Small Business Incubator program. Not only did she graduate - she won a start-up grant to open her own beauty salon. Watching her mother's face as Jehan received her certificate, I saw something profound: hope. Through tears, she told Hasara, our Director of Curriculum and Training, that seeing her daughter on stage was the first moment of real joy she'd felt in years.

This is why we do what we do. This is what Hello Future is about - creating paths of possibility in places where hope can feel scarce. Every student we teach, every business we help launch, carries the promise of transformation not just for one young person, but for entire families.

Your support makes this transformation possible:

$250 - Fuels our Small Business Grants Fund, helping young entrepreneurs like Jehan turn dreams into reality

$125 - Provides an Essential Supply Scholarship for one student, including a mobile phone - their gateway to digital education

$75 - Covers a month of transportation for a student, ensuring they can access our programs regardless of where they live in the city.

Every donation honors Jodi's memory and supports the dreams of students like Jehan. Help us continue this vital work!