Abd Al-Hadi, or ‘the hero’ as he likes to be called, is a 14 year old elementary school student from Aleppo, in northern Syria. Since conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, Abd Al-Hadi and his family have been forced to flee their home several times, seeking safer places to live within Aleppo Governorate.

(Tartous- Syria) -Syria is considered to be one of top producers of Tomatoes in the world. Sitting at the 19th place right after Tunisia and before Portugal, Syria was producing up to 1,163,300 tons in 2008 per year and up keeping livelihoods of thousands of farmers across the country.

Named ‘Āsṣī (which means rebel in Arabic) because unlike other rivers in the region, it runs from south to north, the Orontes river flows through Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The historical significance of this river is inordinate. The Orontes witnessed the Battle of Kadesh during the reign of Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC) and the Battle of Qarqar which was fought in 853 BC, when the army of Assyria, led by king Shalmaneser III, encountered an allied army of 12 kings led by Hadadezer of Damascus. Most importantly, the Orantes is home to 17 Norias (water wheels) which date back to the Byzantine era and renowned heritage sites.