Basmeh & Zeitooneh was launched in September 2012 with field visits to areas with high concentrations of the most marginalized and desperate Syrian refugees. The main goal of these visits was to assess needs and find gaps left by other aid agencies. As a result of those preliminary assessments, it chooses to concentrate the efforts in the most poorly served areas, including Arsal, the Bekaa Valley, Tripoli and the Palestinian refugee camps in Beirut. Basmeh & Zeitooneh’s volunteers make frequent field visits and foster a relationship of trust with our beneficiaries. All the while, we aspire to live up to our name by bringing smiles and peace to those we serve. In Arabic “basmeh,” means smile and “zeitooneh,” means olive, a symbol of peace and nourishment.