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Tarek won for ‘Capoeira4Refugees’, which he founded in Syria in 2007, and which runs sport, music and play projects in prisons, with refugees, and in safe houses for women and girls.
Half Syrian, half German entrepreneur, Tarek has won lots of international awards and pats on the back. He also changed the law in Syria to set up his capoeira projects across the Middle East and beyond. Uniquely, the projects he started are now locally owned, creating new jobs and youth leadership. They have helped 100,000+ refugees, abused women, kids with cancer and put an art form created by slaves in Brazil on the global map. Tarek is now a speaker, thinker and advocate for systemic change. As part of his work, he also started FrontlineAid that aims to use innovative tech to help break down the cartel system in aid so local people get more of the funds.