Dana Mufti, who’s rooth are in Damascus, founded together with committed Upper Austrian, the Foundation Nai. in April 2012 in Linz, Austria.

The work is based on volunteerism. We are commited to support refugeechildren who are the most vulnerable and innocent in this war, by dedicating them our time, skills and expertise.

Personal motivation

Dana Mufti, Chair:

I wanted to help, show my solidarity, let people know I care, that I am part of what is happening in my country. It was a must for me, I couldn’t watch and listen to the horrible dailynews, couldn’t be satisfied with writing only a comment on facebook and let my life goes on as if nothing major has happened. The situation in Syria is more than dramatic and I’m convinced that everybody can help. So I started to look for possibilities to help and came to the idea to do it with music. I play piano since my childhood. With the great support of the musician and composer Nebojsa Krulanovic, and the Kiwani Club in Linz, my children and I organised a charity concert to support family refugees in Syria. The concert was a great success and the idea to create a foundation for the support of syrian refugee children through music was born.

Dr.Reiner Steinweg, Chair deputy, Peace researcher:

I am myself a war and refugee child: We lived 1942-1945 in Scheidnitz bei Breslau today Poland, the first attempt to flee to the West ended in the then-so-called Bohemian Leipa in today’s Czech Republic. As a child, I have experienced the air raids on this city, I have seen it burn. I wasn’t quite six years old at that time, my three siblings were still much younger, my brother was still a baby and couldn’t be wrapped during the three weeks we were on march fleeing the air raids. Our father died as a soldier in Yugoslavia on the day when our march to leave Czechoslovakia started. it was only five years later that we learned about his death. So I know what war means for children and I was very lucky to see and experience how healing music can be in this situation. I started to listen and play music at the age of 9. This was and still is my life elixir.

For me, Syria is almost a neighboring country. I was never there, but we made holidays in Crete, from there it is not far away. The Mediterranean, the mare nostrum of the Romans, belongs to Europe and we belong to it. We are indebted to the Arabic culture, and Damascus is the city of Paulus. There are so many historical connections – how can we be indifferent to what is happening to this country? How can we be indifferent to what children are facing there? Children who at the end are the one who are paying the price of the deeds of the adults.

Nebojsa Krulanovic, Co-founder/Composer, musician, and manager of the music plays at the city theater:

What is happening in Syria has deeply touched me. I know the situation.I Iived at the beginning of the 90s the whole war in my country, former yougoslavia. I found the idea of creating a foundation to support Syrian children through music to be great, I immediately approved and started as a musician to organise a serie of charity concerts.