Abdul Halim al-Attar is a refugee from Syria who was photographed by a Norwegian activist Gissur Simonarson selling pens in the streets of Beirut. The photograph of al-Attar carrying his sleeping daughter on his shoulder while trying to sell pens to passing motorists in the blazing heat went viral and touched people across the world.
Gissur Simonarson, who created a Twitter account under the name @buy_pens was able to raise $5,000 for al-Attar and his family.
Three months later, the campaign had collected almost forty times more which totaled to $188,685.
The 33-year-old father of two opened a bakery two months ago and added a kebab shop and a small restaurant to his business endeavor and he employs 16 Syrian refugees. "Not only did my life change, but also the lives of my children and the lives of people in Syria whom I helped," Al-Attar said. He also confirmed that he gave away about $25,000 to friends and relatives in Syria.
He sported a T-shirt reading "Stay positive," with a large smile. "When God wants to grant you something, you'll get it," he said. Al-Attar is also getting used to his brand-new standing. Once an unnamed street vendor, he now feels like a member of his community where Lebanese and Syrians alike are nicer to him. "They just greet me better now when they see me. They respect me more," he stated with a smile.
Source: Viral4Real
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