180: A Crowded House: Father-Daughter Duo Doing Their Part in Reclaiming Syria’s Lost Generation

In the middle of the ongoing Syrian War, Esra, a Syrian national from Kuwait, and her father founded a small orphanage in Istanbul, Turkey, where she is helping oversee and care for a group of high-potential, yet vulnerable Syrian children. Esra credits her father with inspiring and motivating her to do good even when it goes against others’ expectations and to be a source of change in the world. He also encouraged her, she says, to set the standard for attitude and behavior rather than simply letting her thoughts, attitudes, and actions be dictated by her surroundings. In her father’s words, she was taught to “be a thermostat, not a thermometer.” Listen as Esra recounts the endeavor this father-daughter duo began on behalf of their family and other Arabs worldwide who want to make a difference in the lives of those affected by the Syrian crisis. 

Editor's note: The subject’s name in this week’s story has been changed to protect her identity.