THEY HAVE NAMES

THEY HAVE NAMES began as an awareness campaign to help people who may have misconceptions about the people who are fleeing war and oppression better understand who they are, as well as introduce a few of the faces behind the numbers to those who are simply interested in "getting to know“ people seeking refuge. It was started by Penny Eifrig (editor-in-chief of Eifrig Publishing) and her daughter Saede, who was 16 at the time, and a friend and photographer they met at the camp, Daniel Sonnentag, who was also a regular helping out with the kids.

Through photos and stories, we share our experiences with our friends from a refugee camp in Berlin. While the site was initially intended to simply bring awareness and help develop empathy for "others,“ we have also had direct calls for action (eg. bike drives in Berlin, collection of funds for basic necessities or art supplies and other activities for the kids).

In 2017, we helped reunite a Syrian friend of ours, Mohammad, with his wife and two children in Berlin, where they have joined him now after 3 years of separation. He had hoped to make the dangerous journey himself and then retrieve his family with visas...which was not looking likely until recently. We are delighted that we were able to help make this happen, providing support locally, as well as funding to move them from Damascus to Erbil, Iraq, where they waiting for their visas, and finally to Berlin.

We are also supporting a non-profit in Berlin, Flüchtlingspaten Syrien, which is collecting funding to assist with family reunifications to help Syrian families stuck in dire situations get sponsored visas to join their family members who have found refuge in Berlin. Please consider contributing via the link above!

You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by clicking on the icons at the top of the page, and you can sign up for updates.

Purchase of exhibit catalogues and books supports this campaign and the efforts of the Berlin non-profit to reunite families.

Events:

THEY HAVE NAMES Walking Photo Exhibit in State College, PA, November 3, 2017 - January 1, 2018.

THANK YOU for your support!

Book and t-shirt sales support our awareness and family reunification efforts!