Why The Restoration Act?

Becky Thompson (eventually the founder of The Restoration Act) first went to Kurdistan, Iraq in May 2016 for a month and fell deeply in love with the people.  Two months later, she had moved her belongings from her apartment in Florida to a storage unit and flew to Iraq not knowing if she would be there for another month or for the full winter!  

 

Becky immediately began a sewing project that provided fabric and sewing supplies for internally displaced persons (IDPs) to make dolls and stuffed animals for children recently rescued from ISIS/Daesh.  In this process, it became clear that giving the IDPs something to do and a way to give back was extremely restorative for them individually and as families.   

 

The children that survived living under Daesh were provided more than just a toy.  They were given choice with a smile and love.  They choose what toy they wanted…even if it took 15, 20 or 30 minutes, they chose.  They didn’t have choice under Daesh.  Many didn’t have toys.  Many didn’t have anything but the clothes on their back.  

 

That first project made a deep impact on Becky, and The Restoration Act (TRA) strives to look at every project through the lens of that first project.  Providing hope through love is empowering traumatized people to have a choice, to work, give, receive and learn… 

 

In December 2016, Becky was given a vision to start the Shingal Educational Center (SEC) along with providing a place for those seeking to help with the restoration process.  It was from there that the need for others to join the cause was made clear and The Restoration Act was born. 

 

From the vision of the Shingal Educational Center (see below), to starting TRA, to accepting volunteers that brought with them the skills and love to help bring hope to hurting people, the work continues as we seek to be a bridge in the restoration process for the people of Iraq and Syrian refugees.