Who is Rima Cherri?

Rima was a journalist, a humanitarian, an activist, and an academic. Rima found passion in working with children on the margins of society. She spent years working in the field with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) where she went above and beyond her duties to help struggling families and children. She built relationships and personally helped families whose children were suffering from cancer, mothers suffering from domestic violence, and parents who felt suicidal because their children couldn’t go to school, among many others.  

In 2018, Rima was diagnosed with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. She spent the next few years getting treatment while also studying for a PhD with Essex University. Her PhD was focused on how refugee children in camps perceived the outside world.

Before she passed away in August 2021, at the prime age of 32, Rima was concerned about her unfinished essays and the families she was helping. Just weeks before, she set up U-Turn Lives with the wish that her family and friends continue in her footsteps to help children in need. She recorded the video (below) with her brother and co-founder Wissam to explain their vision.

Rima had a way with words and the philosophical way in which she handled life and death is worthy of admiration. But don’t take it from us, read this this blog she wrote when she was first diagnosed with cancer. 

With support from the Cherri family, Essex University set up a PhD prize in Rima’s name. Find out more here.

To learn more about metastatic cancer, a very aggressive type of cancer that is underresearched and that kills 1 in 5 people diagnosed with it, visit the MET UP UK charity website. 

So who are we?

Since Rima’s passing, we have been working hard to fulfill her legacy. We are a charity registered in the UK with ongoing projects in Lebanon, Jordan, and the UK. Our work focuses on providing opportunities to children on the margins of society, to provide them with opportunities not available to them otherwise. This ranges from providing university scholarships, private tutorship to disabled children in refugee camps, to supporting talents and providing mentorship schemes.

Our goal is to make a meaningful and long-lasting difference in children’s lives so they can one day contribute to making a real change in their communities.

Our team is based in London but works closely with our regional teams and volunteers across different countries.