Our New Arabic-speaking Project Coordinator, Maryam Mourad

We are delighted to break the news that we have chosen Maryam Mourad for WCA’s new and important position of Arabic-speaking Project Coordinator! She is an experienced and dedicated Aramean refugee from Syria who at present lives in Germany.

Maryam Mourad was born in Qamishli, but later moved to Deir Ezzor because her father (Khuroyo Gabriel Mourad) was ordained as priest for the local Syriac Orthodox St. Mary Church. In this city, she went to school and finished her high school. Maryam then moved to Syria’s capital where she graduated from the Damascus University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics (specialization in Business Administration).

After her graduation, she moved back to Deir Ezzor and found work there at the Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi from 2007 until June 2012. In the academic year of 2011-2012, she also taught Aramaic at the local Al-Furat University.

After terrorists destroyed their church and house in Deir Ezzor (on this crime, see No. 16 of WCA’s press release from November 2012!), her family and many other Aramean families escaped to Qamishli. After six months, however, Maryam went back to Damascus where she continued to work for the Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi for two more years.

In January 2015, Maryam and her family fled to Germany where they are still living in the town of Pohlheim in the district of Giessen, which itself lies in the federal state of Hessen situated in the west-central part of the country. Once she began to learn German, she landed herself a job for 1,5 years with the Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt. At present, she has almost completed her further education in financial and payroll accounting and office organization.

Since she was 15, Maryam has had various leadership roles in her church and community. From founding and leading a church choir to organizing youth camps as a young leader. She has three Certificates in Theology from the Syriac Orthodox St. Ephrem Monastery in Maaret Saidnaya, 28 kilometers north of the city of Damascus.

Her many voluntary services throughout Syria and in Germany characterize Maryam, who herself states: “The role presented by WCA is close to my heart. It has always been my desire to provide assistance and support to our people in the homeland and the diaspora.”

When Maryam was still working in Damascus, WCA and its Federation in Switzerland occasionally cooperated with her. And in July 2018, she joined our humanitarian visit to Lebanon and Syria. The Aramean delegation (see photos below) consisted of WCA’s UN NGO Director Sarah Bakir, the Chairman of WCA’s Member Federation in Switzerland Melki Toprak and several representatives of We Are Christians – Aramaic Charity Organization, of which she is currently the Vice-Chairwoman. Maryam, who speaks Aramaic, Arabic, English and German (B2-level), is also the Chair of the Foreigners’ Advisory Council of Pohlheim.

On 6 August 2021, Maryam will start as WCA’s Arabic-speaking Project Coordinator (click here for its tasks and goals).

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Download the Press Release here.