KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Rayyan Haries, 27, first made the news when he travelled to Greece and set up a soup kitchen to feed the many refugees who made the treacherous crossing to the Lesvos.
The Malaysian digital strategist was touched by the story of Alan Kurdi, the little Syrian boy who drowned, when his family tried to cross over from Turkey.
Greek documentary producer Pavlos Avagianos first met Rayyan in the tiny village of Skala Skamnias “where he was making soup by the sea for the refugees that were arriving in thousands every single day.”
“The first thing I noticed when I saw him was his big bright smile and the fact that he was always singing while cooking. He gave us all the hope and courage!,” said Avagianos in an email to Malay Mail Online.
When Rayyan returned to Lesvos last Christmas eve after leaving Greece in February, Avagianos was inspired to make a short documentary clip on him.
“It’s very important for me and my colleagues to show the world that the volunteers who we often call heroes, are regular people, just like everyone else.
“People, though, with a huge heart that made the choice to donate some of their time to help others.
“My main goal with this video is to reach as many people as possible and show them that they can be heroes too, by helping someone in need!”
Rayyan is volunteering at Kara Tepe in Lesvos where he co-ordinating a food kitchen called The Giving Food Truck.
As Rayyan says in the documentary, “Their war is our war.”
