Located in Washington, Hasnâ recognized organization in the field of peace and economic development activities, especially in Turkey, Syria and beyond in the struggle for the rights of women and girls has chosen Ravdanur Cuma, as the peace activist of 2020.
In the profile on Hasna's website, 22-year-old Ravdanur Cuma founded the Ravdanur Association in 2017 to fight child marriage, labor and exploitation, and soon became an exemplary and leading name for refugee youth.
She is a young girl who is fighting for women's rights, the protection of children and the universal living standards of refugees around the world. After being forced to flee her home in Syria and arriving in Turkey as a refugee, she struggled to find solace, hope and strength through education. During her time at the Öncüpınar refugee camp in Kilis, Turkey, she refused to give up her dreams. Instead of child marriage, she quickly realized that schooling would allow young girls like herself to access greater opportunities and take their futures into their own hands. She has seen the prevalence of child marriage in the Syrian refugee community and has sought to ensure that parents care for their children. She encouraged young girls to take a combative stance on the advantages of Education.
In addition to working to raise the voices of women and young people, Ravdanur Cuma received a scholarship to study International Relations and Political Science at Hasan Kalyoncu University in Gaziantep.
Ravdanur Cuma, who was selected as “peace activist of the year 2020” by HasNa and lives in Gaziantep, started working as a relief coordinator of International Blue Crescent Foundation (IBC) after four years as a member of a family of 9 children in a tent camp. Ravdanur Cuma, who is currently an IBC employee, provides for the livelihood of his family and all her siblings to be educated. Cuma, the hero of an unusual and enviable drama, conducts dozens of projects, usually aimed at all refugees and especially Syrians.
Muzaffer BACA, Vice President of International Blue Crescent Foundation (IBC), said he was delighted that Ravdanur Cuma was named “Peace Activist of the year 2020” in return for her efforts to heal the wounds of the war in Syria.
He expressed his feelings as follows:
"Ravdanur Cuma, has done more than her age and height to be an example in the world. Together with her, we have helped thousands of war victims who have taken refuge in Turkey and become immigrants. She is very valuable to both Syria and Turkey. Tens of thousands of students have returned to re-education. Through her efforts, the school that had been destroyed in Syria became a place of re-education. We have achieved successful results in IBC's refugee rights and social cohesion projects. We do continue to do much more for people who are in need.”
