--- title: our history --- [Skip to content](https://stilliriseusa.org/our-history#main-content) [![SIR US - Logo RGB white](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SIR%20US%20-%20Logo%20RGB%20white.png?width=454&height=162&name=SIR%20US%20-%20Logo%20RGB%20white.png) ![SIR US - Logo RGB](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/SIR%20US%20-%20Logo%20RGB.png?width=454&height=162&name=SIR%20US%20-%20Logo%20RGB.png)](https://www.stilliriseusa.org?hsLang=en) - [Still I Rise History](https://stilliriseusa.org/our-history) - [About Us](https://stilliriseusa.org/about-us) - [Our Work](https://stilliriseusa.org/our-work) - [Still I Rise History](https://stilliriseusa.org/our-history) - [About Us](https://stilliriseusa.org/about-us) - [Our Work](https://stilliriseusa.org/our-work) [DONATE](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LXBX83G3FV8MQ) [Donate Now](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LXBX83G3FV8MQ) # We help build schools to create spaces where hope grows and every child can learn and thrive ## Still I Rise History We started to help the forgotten children of Europe. We expanded to bring about change around the world. We keep on fighting to build a better future for everyone. ### 2018 #### Still I Rise was founded In May 2018, in response to the severe migration crisis in Syria, Still I Rise was founded. The organization is independent, transparent, and efficient, providing the highest quality support to the children it serves while exposing and combating corruption and injustice within the system. ![image_2025-08-15_233804454](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-15_233804454.png?width=754&height=506&name=image_2025-08-15_233804454.png) #### Mazì opens in Greece In August 2018, on the island of Samos, Greece, Mazì opened its first Emergency and Rehabilitation School. It became the first free educational space specifically designed for minors confined in the island’s initial reception center, known as the hotspot. ![image_2025-08-15_233922299](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-15_233922299.png?width=594&height=800&name=image_2025-08-15_233922299.png) ### 2019 #### The complaint against the hotspot In June 2019, after a year spent denouncing the abuses of the hotspot authorities without response, the organization took action by filing the first criminal complaint for child abuse and crimes against humanity, formally naming those responsible. ![image_2025-08-16_000120396](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000120396.png?width=596&height=802&name=image_2025-08-16_000120396.png) #### European Court upheld our request In December 2019, the European Court of Human Rights upheld the organization’s request by issuing an interim measure to transfer the unaccompanied minors named in the complaint to a suitable facility, formally recognizing the criminal realities of the hotspot. This marked the first time such a measure had ever been granted. ![image_2025-08-16_000151099](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000151099.png?width=754&height=506&name=image_2025-08-16_000151099.png) ### 2020 #### Nobel Peace Prize nomination In January 2020, "for dedicating his life to supporting and protecting the rights of children," the Republic of San Marino nominates Nicolò Govoni, President of Still I Rise, for the Nobel Peace Prize. ![image_2025-08-16_000205269](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000205269.png?width=756&height=506&name=image_2025-08-16_000205269.png) #### International expansion Bolstered by their success in Greece, both institutionally and educationally, the organization decided to expand the Still I Rise Method wherever it is needed: to the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. A School of Excellence for children everywhere in the world! ![image_2025-08-16_000218490](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000218490.png?width=598&height=800&name=image_2025-08-16_000218490.png) ### 2021 #### Opening Ma'an, in Syria In August 2020, in the city of Al Dana in northwestern Syria, the organization opened Ma'an, its second Emergency and Rehabilitation School, providing children affected by war with a chance at a future and restoring their fundamental right to hope. ![image_2025-08-16_000232164](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000232164.png?width=594&height=800&name=image_2025-08-16_000232164.png) #### Opening Still I Rise International School - Nairobi In January 2021, in Nairobi, Kenya, the organization opened Still I Rise International School – Nairobi, the first international school in the world to democratize elite education by offering it free of charge to refugee and vulnerable children. It marked a true educational revolution. ![image_2025-08-16_000246889](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000246889.png?width=754&height=506&name=image_2025-08-16_000246889.png) #### The International Baccalaureate After years of dedicated work, Still I Rise International School – Nairobi was included in the International Baccalaureate (IB) network as a Candidate School, becoming the first international school in the world to offer a curriculum of excellence to refugee and vulnerable children. ![image_2025-08-16_000302675](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000302675.png?width=598&height=800&name=image_2025-08-16_000302675.png) ### 2022 #### Opening Pamoja, DR Congo In February 2022, the organization opened Pamoja in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, its third Emergency and Rehabilitation School, providing children subjected to child labor in the mines a chance to escape a life of semi-slavery. ![image_2025-08-16_000317147](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000317147.png?width=594&height=800&name=image_2025-08-16_000317147.png) ### 2023 #### Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice in Mumbai Still I Rise was among the recipients of the 18th Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for the work of providing high-quality education to refugee children across the globe. ![image_2025-08-16_000333390](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000333390.png?width=600&height=384&name=image_2025-08-16_000333390.png) #### Another Nobel Peace Prize nomination. This time, the entire Still I Rise organization received, once again from the Republic of San Marino, a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, recognized 'for ensuring free education and protection for vulnerable and refugee children. ![image_2025-08-16_000344909](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000344909.png?width=768&height=459&name=image_2025-08-16_000344909.png) #### Opening a SIR Academy in Yemen In November 2023 Still I Rise opened in Aden, Yemen, our fourth Emergency and Rehabilitation School to ensure a better future for the children of the planet's worst conflict. ![image_2025-08-16_000400314](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000400314.png?width=598&height=442&name=image_2025-08-16_000400314.png) ### 2024 #### Opening Still I Rise International School - Bogotà In January 2024 the organization opened Still I Rise International School - Bogotà in Colombia, the first free International School for refugee and vulnerable children in South America. Our Revolution continues! ![image_2025-08-16_000415609](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000415609.png?width=768&height=512&name=image_2025-08-16_000415609.png) #### first IB World School After years of hard work, Still I Rise International School - Nairobi, in Kenya, successfully passes the final International Baccalaureate inspection, becoming an "IB World School" and officially one of the top 0.1% best Schools in the world. ![image_2025-08-16_000427893](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000427893.png?width=768&height=553&name=image_2025-08-16_000427893.png) #### 100% Exam pass rate among Academy students In Syria, DRC, and Yemen, all of the students successfully passed their final exams, gaining access to formal state education. ![image_2025-08-16_000439622](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000439622.png?width=600&height=413&name=image_2025-08-16_000439622.png) #### Launch of the International Scholarship Programme Students from Yemen and the DRC have begun a new academic journey at Still I Rise International School in Nairobi. They have been joined by children from the Kakuma refugee camp, located on the border between Kenya and South Sudan ![image_2025-08-16_000455750](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000455750.png?width=600&height=402&name=image_2025-08-16_000455750.png) #### International School in Colombia is a Candidate for the IB MYP Still I Rise International School – Bogotá has officially obtained candidate status for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP). ![image_2025-08-16_000512411](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000512411.png?width=600&height=405&name=image_2025-08-16_000512411.png) #### International School in Kenya is a Candidate for the IB DP Still I Rise International School in Nairobi has been granted IB Candidate School status for the Diploma Programme—a milestone that will open the doors to top universities for the organization's students. ![image_2025-08-16_000523498](https://stilliriseusa.org/hs-fs/hubfs/image_2025-08-16_000523498.png?width=600&height=413&name=image_2025-08-16_000523498.png) Start Funding ### Every Donation Matter! Changing the world.One child at a time. [Donate Now](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LXBX83G3FV8MQ) ![SIR US - Logo RGB w-o](https://stilliriseusa.org/hubfs/SIR%20US%20-%20Logo%20RGB%20w-o.png) Still I Rise works every day to give children access to education, safety, and a brighter future. Your support helps us turn hope into real opportunities where they are needed most. ##### Contact ###### Email [contact@stilliriseusa.org](mailto:contact@tounsicorp.com) #### Company - [TERMS OF USE](https://stilliriseusa.org/terms-of-use) - [PRIVACY AND POLICY](https://stilliriseusa.org/privacy-policy) © 2025 Still I Rise USA | All rights reserved