Princeton Clay Project raises funds, awareness to help Syrian refugee youth
Kevin AgostinelliAvigail Gilad '19 and Maria Chiara Ficarelli ’19 recently co-founded the Princeton Clay Project, a fundraising and awareness initiative dedicated to sending Syrian refugee youth to Al Albayt University in Jordan through the Amal Scholarship Fund.The group has so far raised upwards of $3,000, according to Ficarelli and Gilad.Ficarelli is an associate photo editor for the Daily Princetonian.The Amal Scholarship Fund was started by Julie Whittaker GS of the Wilson School, who also co-founded the Princeton Refugee Project.The Amal Scholarship Fund was named for “amal,” the Arabic word for hope, and offers needy students four-year university scholarships to study at Al Albayt, a public Jordanian university located ten minutes away from Za’atari Refugee Camp, according to the Amal Scholarship Fund website. The website notes that the cost of a four-year bachelor’s degree in Jordan – including tuition, books and living stipend – is $19,000.The Clay Project is working in close conjunction with the Princeton Refugee Project, the Nassau Presbyterian Church and the Social Justice Committee of the Center for Jewish Life, with the goal of raising $10,000 – enough to support two years of study at Al Albayt University for one student.




