AT A GLANCE: THE IRAQI STUDENT PROJECT

What is ISP?

The Iraqi Student Project (ISP) is a grass-roots effort to help young people who have studied in Iraq acquire the education they need to participate in rebuilding their country. While living in Damascus in 2007 to learn Arabic, two American retirees, Gabe Huck and Theresa Kubasak, started meeting young Iraqi who had been forced to leave their college studies after the war started. In Syria, the students could not afford to continue their education. The idea of ISP began to develop. By summer of that year, Gabe and Theresa had learned of the Bosnian Student Project of the mid-1990s, a project which helped more than 160 students escape from the Bosnian and Kosovar war zones and continue their educations in the US. This served as a model for ISP.

Who runs and funds ISP? ISP is a registered 501(c)(3), non-profit, governed by a small, seven-member board of directors with two staff members in the US. The organization is funded by individual donations, partnerships with churches, mosques, synagogues, community organizations, on-campus organizations, peace groups and others. Gabe and Theresa, who are unpaid and still based in Damascus, run an intensive English study program that is taught by volunteers, to prepare students for college in the US.

Where will my money go? Your tax-exempt donation will go directly toward paying for Rahman’s travel, MPC tuition, books, materials and minimal daily expenses. Deposited and administered locally, none of your donation will be used for any other purpose within ISP other than Rahman’s studies in Monterey.

What is ISP’s mission? ISP seeks to make undergraduate education possible for qualified students who were studying in Iraq, are unable to continue their education because of the violence, and intend to return and contribute to the rebuilding of Iraq. These students are recommended for study without regard to gender, nationality, religion or ethnicity.

What has ISP done so far?

This past year, 14 Iraqi students finished their first years at U.S. colleges. This coming year, more than 20 more students are also expected to begin their studies in the US.

Where can I find more information?
Please see http://iraqistudentproject.org/ or contact Dania Akkad at daniaakkad@gmail.com.