Amanda could hear the catastrophic explosion from her bedroom. That's how close she was to the devastation that happened on August 4, 2020, when a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, causing at least 204 deaths and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless.

When the dust settled, Amanda watched as thousands of her fellow citizens took to the streets to clean up the rubble, lend a hand to rescue missions, help victims and work to rebuild their country. It was a moment of both revelation and inspiration. Lebanese citizens, who for decades have been mired in sectarian conflicts and struggling with governments that fail to address the basic needs of the people, came together, despite their differences to build a better, stronger Lebanon.

Anais is a passionate young leader from Berlin, Germany, whose experience with education was anything but ordinary. While most children went to a school and received a ‘formal education’ that revolved around grades and exams, Anais spent most of her life in a circus. To her, education and learning often exist outside of the school system in a space that encourages individuality, promotes talent and accepts people as they are, regardless of their background, mental or physical ability or financial status. 

Rachana grew up in Gulmi, Nepal, where she attended primary school. Unlike most students her age, school wasn’t a place for learning, fun and friends. It was a place of fear and pain. Rachana was sexually abused by her teacher at the age of eight. Her teacher would tell her this was her punishment for misbehaving in class. Back then, Rachana did not really understand what was happening to her. She just knew it felt horrible but she couldn’t get herself to tell anyone about it. That feeling stayed with her through her adolescent years. It was only after she moved to Kathmandu as an adult that she started questioning what had happened. She started thinking about what eight year old Rachana could have done differently.

This is when Sketch A Peace was born, a safe and vibrant space for children to learn and create art. Sherif and his brilliant team of volunteer artists would provide the children with all the tools and training necessary for them to create the art they want. There is to be no limits to what their imagination could create or to how they choose to express themselves through art. Sherif would then take their artwork and sell it for display at nurseries, schools, coffee shops and restaurants as decorative pieces. The money will go directly to the children so they don’t feel like this is another charity trying to make them feel better about themselves and their situation, but rather something they earned for creating valuable art. 

Sanah is a Peace First accelerator winner and the founder of The Love Your Natural Self Foundation. The Love Your Natural Self Foundation has impacted 50,000 students and 150 schools. She applied for a Rapid Response grant after she saw the opportunity for COVID-19 submissions on social media. Sanah’s project was created to address the lack of social and emotional learning programming in K-12 campuses. She believes that every student deserves the resources to thrive and celebrate who they are. This is Sanah’s story.

Cynthia is a Peace First grantee and creator of the project: Helping the Overlooked NHS Workers. She is fighting to help cleaners and hospital laborers. She applied for a Rapid Response grant after her mum told her about the opportunity to create change. Cynthia’s project was created to address the treatment of overlooked key workers within the NHS. She believes everyone deserves respect, especially those who put their lives on the line to save others. This is Cynthia’s story.

Simon is a Peace First grantee and creator of the project: Raising Awareness to Combat COVID-19. He is fighting to help rural communities and youth. Simon applied for a Rapid Response grant after he saw the opportunity while conducting an internet search, looking for resources. Simon’s project was created to address the lack of information his community members had about COVID-19. He believes information is power. This is Simon’s story.

Marwa is a Peace First grantee, MENA Country Ambassador and the creator of the project: COVID-19 in Tunisia. She has aided her Multiplicity Janitors with necessary equipment to protect themselves and save lives. She applied for a Rapid Response grant after hearing about the opportunity through her Fellow-in-residence, Josiane Atallah. Marwa’s project was created to address the health and safety of community members. She believes that we all need to help wherever we can. This is Marwas’s story.

Makayla is a Peace First grantee and the founder of Revolution Now: a multimedia organization that strives to increase youth political involvement. She applied for a Rapid Response grant after she saw the opportunity for COVID-19 submissions on social media. Makayla’s project was created for young people around the world who are struggling to continue fighting for the causes they care about during this time. After losing her grandfather to COVID-19, She believes that staying informed and connected is the key to staying safe and saving lives. This is Makayla’s story.

Samrat started project, “Creative Me” after learning the real reason kids were leaving the classroom. “I have seen a lot of children quitting school at an early age. When I talk with them, most of the time the reasoning around dropping out isn’t poverty or lack of resources-- they quit school simply because it’s boring.” Read more about Samrat and his project.