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Like many Syrians of his generation, Hadi was deeply affected by the war and displacement that happened over the last decade. Before he left Syria in 2016, he was volunteering at a refugee center for internally displaced families and it was there that he realized the huge need for psychological support for parents and children to help them deal with the consequences and trauma of war. “At that moment my life changed because I knew I wanted to work with children. This developed my interest in psychology, trauma, and childhood development,” he says.
As a recipient of the Jusoor Hardship Fund Scholarship in 2022, Hadi was able to successfully complete his bachelor’s degree in Psychology online from the University of Essex paving the way for him to pursue his master’s degree in Childhood Studies, with the support of the Said Foundation, at the same university - this time in person in the United Kingdom.
For Hadi, addressing children and youth’s mental health challenges and struggles will help the next Syrian generation speak up and lead the change in Syria. And this is where he sees his role as a changemaker.
The Journey to a Psychology Degree
Hadi had already graduated from Damascus University with training as an orthopedist. However, after settling into his new life in Türkiye, he started pouring all his energy into putting himself through a degree in psychology. After much research, he landed on the online program for a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Essex. To fund his studies and living expenses in Türkiye, he started a crowdfunding campaign where he managed to raise more than $5,000.
This was when he was introduced to Jusoor’s Hardship Fund, a scholarship for Syrian scholars already enrolled in a program but at risk of dropping out due to lack of funds. “With Jusoor it was different, it was a system of follow-up with their mentorship program - it was people who believed in me and wanted me to succeed,” Hadi explains “Having this concept and this community for me was a huge push forward. It was not just about giving a scholarship for the tuition fees. Jusoor cultivated a sense of community and a sense of leadership in me because I wanted to support other students, I wanted to give back,"
And give back he did. Hadi is currently working on developing materials for Jusoor’s Refugee Education Program for psycho-social support workshops with parents to support them in the best approaches to helping their children. Previously, he had volunteered as a mentor for other students and worked as a mental health consultant with Jusoor. Hadi wrote a mental health guide for Jusoor’s scholars to help them better understand mental health challenges and the tools to address them to maintain well-being.
Besides giving back to Jusoor, Hadi also wanted to share his knowledge with a wider audience. During his studies for his bachelor’s, Hadi realized the massive gap in knowledge and research focused on parenting in the Middle East and Syria, especially surrounding war and trauma. “I found only 13 articles focused on helping Syrian parents during the war, only by four authors,” Hadi exclaimed. “It was a shock to me that after 13 years of war, this was all that was available; I found this surprising but not acceptable.”
This prompted Hadi to do what he could to fill this gap and also address the language barrier that exists even without the availability of research. Hadi started making videos on mental health, anxiety, the consequences of war, on the impact of shouting at children. He also translated academic articles into Arabic, simplified them, and published them. He continues to do so now even as he’s well into his master’s degree.
“Parents need to know the science behind their behaviors towards their children so they can know how to develop alternatives. We cannot just tell parents not to shout. We have to provide them with knowledge and alternatives for change to happen,” he explains.
A Future Where Mental Health is Prioritized in Syria
For Hadi, the ultimate success after his Master’s studies is to play a role in both policy-making and work on the ground to make knowledge on parenting and children’s mental health accessible to Syrian parents and provide them with useful tools.
Hadi hopes to empower Syria's next generation by changing the inequality of information access, providing education and child protection services, and developing the culture around parents’ approach to their children. In August 2024 Hadi was awarded the Alan Jenkins Memorial Award for the most inspiring student story at the University of Essex, a testament to his inspirational endeavors.
Mike Niconchuk, Hadi’s former employer at Beyond Conflict and Wend Collective
Hadi exemplifies the values of patience, hope, and love. Knowing Hadi for almost a decade, I have seen his passion grow under the harshest of circumstances; circumstances the world created for him yet that he consistently understood and integrated to forge courageous paths forward. In objectively dire circumstances, Hadi remains a light for his family, friends, colleagues, and community; giving constantly of his heart and mind in a beautifully and uniquely unified way. There is no doubt that Hadi will continue to be a leader and powerhouse intellectually, relationally, and in terms of equity for those he serves. Hadi Althib unites various elements of his self--his mind, heart, spirit, and inclinations--to transform and embody systems of care, and it is an honor to know him and work alongside him.
Dr. Alexandra Chen, Trauma Psychologist & UN Advisor, former employer of Hadi
Hadi is a remarkable individual – both as a person and as a young leader in the largest humanitarian crisis of our lifetime. I have only ever been impressed by Hadi’s earnest diligence, fiery determination, and conscientious decision-making. Unlike anyone I have ever worked with in the last 15 years, Hadi can anticipate your needs and be five steps ahead of you while executing all his responsibilities with gold-standard quality, deep humility, and generosity of spirit. This superpower of Hadi reflects his perceptiveness and consideration for all stakeholders’ needs in a given situation, a powerful quality of a leader who is connected to his community.
