At the turn of the year, the third journalistic editorial team of the online platform “Amal” starts work.

"Amal" means "hope" in Arabic.

The editorial offices of this name produce local news in Arabic, Dari and, since 2022, in Ukrainian for those who have fled to Germany.

It all started with “Amal Berlin!” and “Amal Hamburg!”, and in January an editorial team for the Rhine-Main area will be added: “Amal Frankfurt!”.

Young journalists work here who cannot practice their profession in their home countries.

The project was launched in 2017, initially with ten journalists in Berlin, and there are now 25 at the three locations.

Journalists from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Egypt and the Ukraine report here in their mother tongue on politics, business and local events – on site and in their audience's home countries.

In Frankfurt, six employees report, two per language – Arabic with Haythma Abo Taleb and Souzan Nassri, Parwiz Rahimi and Sona Sahar in the Dari editorial team and Tamriko Shoshyashvili and Olena Iskorostenska in Ukrainian.

The project was launched by Julia and Cornelia Gerlach in cooperation with the Evangelical School of Journalism.

It is supported and funded by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the Körber Foundation, the Schöpflin, the Mercator and the Crespo Foundation.

For the five-year-old in September, "Amal" drew a positive interim conclusion.

"Amal Berlin!" has 110,000 followers on Facebook, the sister project in Hamburg 17,000.

Which topics move the readership and the editors?

Anti-Semitism, Arab clans in Germany, violence against women and religious issues play a major role.

The readers discuss this online, moderated by the journalists.

Their perspectives differ significantly.

The Arab and Persian journalists focus on Germany.

Your readership came to the country not least with the great flight of refugees in 2015 and is mainly found wherever “Amal” is based – in Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt.

Understandably, Ukrainian journalists focus primarily on the Russian war of aggression against their homeland.

The Ukrainians who fled to Germany are looking for current news about their country, the war and Russia.

She hopes to be able to return as soon as possible.

Is there also criticism of "Amal"?

Absolutely, says Julia Gerlach in an interview.

But this turns out to be moderate.

The "Hamburger Abendblatt" criticized that "Amal" missed its actual goal of integration.

Reporting about Germany in the languages ​​of origin reduces the need for refugees to learn German.

It is true that a journalistic offer in the mother tongue initially provides an aid to understanding and helps with orientation.

But that doesn't work in the long run.

"Amal" wants to do both: build a bridge to the countries of origin and provide help with the start and integration into German society.

It is said that the ecclesiastical base of "Amal" also causes a certain skepticism.

Developed together with the Evangelical Church, financially supported by, among other things, church-related foundations, the question arises as to why this is a task for them in particular.

"Amal", says Julia Gerlach, not only reports on the secular world, but there is also no particular emphasis on church activities.

There may well be reservations among the predominantly Muslim readership.

He sees himself as a bridge builder, says photographer Parwiz Rahimi, a journalist who is enthusiastic about photography.

Through his reporting on Dari, he not only reaches people in Germany.

When he and his colleagues take up conflict and taboo topics in their home countries, such as the situation of women in Afghanistan who are now almost completely disenfranchised by the Taliban, writing in their mother tongue, this also interests an audience beyond the German borders.

The journalists counted on this effective potential, after which their project is called: their hope.