George and Amal setting up a foundation for refugee childrens' education

Great news 

Amazing news, a very good idea and way to help refugees.

I spoke too soon... We do know what's coming next.....RUN FASTER GEORGE.....

Far be it from me to shoot down offers of help however ill thought out.... First word that comes to mind when you think of a refugee camp is "what's the password for your broadband....NOT!"....

Still credit where it's due.... The present Mrs C is trying... Just hope Mr C makes a run for freedom....jmho

Sounds wonderful  George knows he has found his life partner and they are working together to make good things happen.

Hopefully, they will be successful in their endeavors.

Right, well she's been asked by Nadia Murad and the Yazidi women prisoners of ISIS to represent them. 

She then has to put a case together to present to the International Criminal Court to ask on their behalf if the Court is prepared to indict ISIS. It's certainly not going to be an overnight job. Many many hours of work just to see if it's possible within a legal framework.

I have a feeling that as they have called themselves a 'state' that might prejudice the case..........

Thanks Pan doesn't seem like it will be easy.

Aargh! Have put it in the wrong thread..................

annemarie wrote:Sounds wonderful  George knows he has found his life partner and they are working together to make good things happen.

Hopefully, they will be successful in their endeavors.

Yes indeed annemarie! You said it! The fact that Amal and George are trying to do their part to help a devastating situation in Syria should be recognized as a good thing. Neither is naive. And they both know so many smart people in the non profit/humanitarian sector that I'm sure they are getting all kinds of good advice. And smart too that Amal is reaching out to the business community to lend a hand .....

PAN - Thanks for that last post. Why is it so hard for us to do the right thing , yet so easy to do what we know is wrong? Reading that post reminded me of what I read in schoolbooks describing the immigrant experience at the turn of the 20th century. It seems nothing has changed except the nationality of the refugees.

Thanks PAN. I had seen a similar news report on tv several weeks ago. I think I mentioned it somewhere else here. The situation in Turkey is similar to slave labor. Yes Lizzy, it does sound quite similar to what we experienced in our country at the turn of the last century. The powerful taking advantage of the powerless.

This is awful children should be in school taking advantage of these kids because they have nothing else and no choice is wrong.

For us, who live in safety and - at least relative - wealth - it's unbelievable that children are not able to go to school because they have to work for their families living and survival. 
And I have talked about it in another thread: Some years ago I spoke to an older man who had lived in our village for several years after he had had to leave his hometown due to the fact that Germany lost regions to Poland and Russia after WW II. He was nine years old when he came here, had never gone to school, hadn't learned to read, write or  calculate, had seen people dying during their journey and was traumatized. He had to learn to sit in a classroom for hours, to concentrate on a subject and was the eldest pupil who had to start learning everything.
We still have a quite high rate of analphabets of that age, and if you just think what these people could have mamaged to do in their lives if this war hadn't been started...

So now we have the technology to teach these children everywhere. Shouldn't we use them? Shouldn't we help them to be able to learn? Maybe one day one of them might save our lives...

Amen Carolhathaway those children are the future.

Yep carolh and annemarie! So so true.

I often wonder if these young refugees will become part of a lost and angry generation if they are not tended to. Cared for and educated. Education is knowledge and knowledge is power. Without education where is their hope to succeed at anything in life? Technology can certainly help. These simple devices can make a world of difference for a young person with hardly any tools of learning available to them.

I'm really interested to see how this foundation evolves and how George and Amal will implement it.

ITA, carolhathaway. Also, in the most dire situations, giving children tools to learn can provide them much needed escape from the harsh life and experiences around them. It also gives hope for the future for adults. The technology is there, why not use it to benefit these children?

Although education may not guarantee a successful future - not everyone is going to be rich and famous - it at least makes the tools for success available. Education opens children's minds and encourages them to think and dream. Their thoughts and dreams, if allowed to flourish, could save the world.

Unfortunately, the places where hatred and intolerance are strongest are the places which are in greatest need of the free exchange of information and ideas  - and the places least likely to accept them.

Let's not forget that this is all in conjunction with UNICEF, and that there's a second part to the foundation which is monitoring and training observers to have legal training in the field.

His Nibs already has a great deal experience in this field  e g Digitalglobe and Satellite Sentinel.........and already spends two days of his week dedicated to these causes.

I didn't know this foundation was affiliated with UNICEF. Missed that. Yep, George does have a lot of experience with the nonprofit sector as you mentioned and NOOW too.

George has little time. Amal has more time.she shop less time.and to carry makeup purse. Artist take too long

So they are partnering with Google. Sounds like a huge undertaking but I'm hopeful they will have success. Good for them and for the children they can help educate to give them opportunities in their lives they might not otherwise have.

I went to The Clooney Foundation for Justice. I did sign up but not sure if that means I'll be added to their mailing list or what ...

This is great news, and Amal's friend and interviewer, Eric Schmidt is coughing up! Brilliant..........

Something many of us would love to do, but don't have those sorts of sphere of influence or clout

Donna,
the website is not very informative at the moment. So I decided not to sign up but wait for more informations.

Here is the video for the Clooney Foundation, George on voiceover:

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Thank you PAN. A wonderful video. I was so touched listening to the children talk about their hopes for the future. George continues to impress me with his big heart, his empathy for others and his desire to make the world better in his own way. I'm sorry for being a bit sappy. Can't help it.

Donnamarie he really does have a big heart .

Nice photos on Zimbio

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Love President Obama's comments on their new charity.............

The President has a very good sense of humor.

I think George gave Madeleine Albright a thrill when he hugged her. Sweet.

The Zimbio pics of George are very, very nice. He looks so good!

I agree. The President has a great sense of humor. He is gifted with great comedic timing. If anyone has ever watched his speeches at the White House Correspondents Annual Dinners he is usually far better than the guest comedians who headline those events.

Donna,
I've always watched videos of Obama's speeches at the White House Correspondents Dinner and really enjoyed them. He definetely have a great sense of humor! 

Didn't Madeline Albright declare her undying love for George when he was awarded with an award about ten years ago?