Believe in Them

Believe in Them is the first-ever memoir of Luma Mufleh, the widely honoured founder and director of Fugees Family, a non-profit organisation devoted to child survivors of war. She tells her extraordinary story with the moving, inspirational force with which she delivered her TED talk, viewed over 1.8 million times. Herself a refugee, Luma fled from her native Jordan to the U.S. in fear for her life if she continued living in Jordan as a gay Muslim, leaving behind a family who had trouble accepting her when she came out as gay. One day, while driving through Georgia she took a wrong turn and noticed some boys playing football in the street. She discovered that they were refugees. The Fugees football team was created. Soon she was not just ‘coach’ but also friend and mentor to these children and their families. As time passed, it became clear to Luma that the Fugees needed more than just football coaching from her – they needed support, encouragement and education. “Don’t feel sorry for them,” were Mufleh’s grandmother’s words about refugee children to her young granddaughter. “Believe in them.” And that is precisely what Mufleh has done.

Author Biography

Luma Mufleh is the CEO and Founding Director of Fugees Family, a non-profit organisation devoted to working with child survivors of war, which uses football, education and community to empower refugee children to integrate successfully. The daughter and granddaughter of Syrian refugees, Mufleh grew up in Amman, Jordan. She was educated at an American school, where she was the only girl to play football. In 1997, she graduated from Smith College, U.S. with a B.A. in Anthropology, and received her U.S. citizenship in 2011. She became a football coach for refugee and immigrant children, which led her to discover a need for a new approach to education for these children in schools. Her Fugees Academies are considered a model for refugee education in the U.S. Mufleh was a Top 10 CNN Hero for 2016. In 2018, she was awarded the Diane von Furstenberg People’s Choice Award. She is the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr Community Service Award, the Smith College Medal, and the Common Ground Award, which is presented annually to honour accomplishments in conflict resolution, negotiation, community building and peace building. Her TED talk has been viewed over 1.8 million times.