With a seasoned career in the world of glitzy Fashion Public Relations, Irish expat Tara Sillery decided to harness her fame toward one cause: offering a helping hand to less fortunate children and adult refugees as a result of the turmoil in Syria and Lebanon.
Tara told bazaar, “I am blessed to have an amazing life and career but, despite the somewhat glitz and glamour, that is not what I am all about. I cannot bear the fakeness of the world at times and I am a firm believer in walking the talk.” Tara established HOPE when she first visited the refugee camps over a year ago in Lebanon. Many approached her since then to assist with the inner city Lebanese homeless children, as well as raising awareness about the dire situations that are clearly visible at the refugee camps. She added, “Lebanon has been extremely supportive toward my work, and I feel that I am in a position to help give back considering that I am in the public eye. I will not stop until I have changed many things. I am blessed to have amazing friends in parliament in Lebanon and one has been paramount in helping doing all legal documents etc. to establish HOPE.”
The goal-oriented PR guru channeled her passion for the lives of these children into HOPE, where the name actually serves as an acronym for Happiness Of Positive Education. Tara said that the children she met along her journey gave her hope for the future, proving that there is still some humanity left in the world. She explained, “I then broke this HOPE down into where my main goal lays – to educate the public on the dire situation of these misfortunate children and adults and most importantly to educate these children and adults on life, hygiene and the importance of education itself.”
Tara truly sees that education is paramount in these communities, as many generations will grow up to be uneducated in many aspects of their lives. From all aspects of health, psychological assistance and housing needs, to creating a comprehensive educational program, Tara is working closely with volunteers across the region to better the lives of homeless Lebanese children as well as Syrian refugees.
HOPE thrives on maintaining a transparent policy, and Tara oversees the delivery of the donations in person. She is currently in the process of setting up a website, where she will regularly update the organization’s followers with the required items as well as informing the public about the progress of HOPE’s projects. She even loves taking visitors to the camps, she said, “Every single person who wants to visit any of my camps is always more than welcome and I am eternally grateful to all of my friends who have visited and helped me.”
With an extended network of friends and family in Kuwait, Tara counts Dahlia Al Essa as her main supporter and proponent for her charity in Kuwait. She said, “She has been paramount in helping raise the word and awareness and has donated so many clothes it is unreal. Without people like Dahlia in my life and the world, as well as my amazing friends here I don’t think the charity would be as popular as it is proving to be.” Tara believes that people can help by volunteering for events to spread the word about HOPE, and she is always looking for helping hands to grow the number of donations. She plans on getting more involved with local bazaars, selling Kuwaiti clothes and raising cash to pay for medical care for the refugees at the camps.
Perhaps the most recent example that demonstrates her efforts for HOPE in Kuwait included Tara hosting a talk at the TIES Center in Kuwait. She acquired designer goods that were resold at massively discounted prices to raise funds. Through her deep roots in the local community, Tara was able to involve HOPE with several charitable centers in Kuwait, and the ‘Second Chance’ charity at TIES is no different.
If you’re looking to get involved with HOPE, feel free to reach out to Tara Sillery via Whatsapp on 6009 2720 or Instagram @Tarasillery, email tarasillery@gmail.com , and find HOPE on Facebook: HappinessOfPositiveEducation.
