Salwa Azzam, 1928-2020

Salwa Azzam, aged 92, passed away peacefully on July 3, 2020, surrounded by her loving family. 

She is survived by her children: Dr. Khaldon Alsaadi (Roada), Mazen Alsaadi, Randa Alsaadi, and Ghada Elchoufi (Alarabi); her grandchildren: Boshra Alsaadi, Dr. Rana Liebert (Hugh), Dr. Salwa Alsaadi, Omar Alsaadi, Dr. Deema Elchoufi, Khaled Elchoufi, and Qais Alsaadi; and her great-grandchildren Ava, Annabel, and Hugh Liebert. She will also be sorely missed by her brother Riad Azzam, her many nieces and nephews, and her entire community in Salkhad, Syria. 

She was predeceased by her husband Salim Alsaadi, son Dr. Haythem Alsaadi, and sister Nadia Azzam. 

A recent immigrant from Syria, Salwa has been an Augusta resident since 2018, living with her youngest daughter Ghada and her husband Alarabi, both engineers at the Savannah River Site.

Salwa lived an extraordinary life. Born to progressive parents in the small Druze village of Salkhad during the French occupation of Syria, she was afforded a rare privilege for women of the time: an education. She was sent to a French Jesuit boarding school in the nearby town of Swayda, where she developed a love of the French language that would shape the rest of her professional career. As a teenager, she was actively involved in the people's uprising against the feudal class of Swayda, giving moving political speeches that helped win concessions for the laboring class. Salwa went on to become the first woman from the province of Swayda to receive a college education. As newlyweds, she and her husband Salim Alsaadi attended Damascus University, where Salwa studied French literature. The pair would return to their village to establish the first local school. She served as a French teacher and principal of the Girls' School of Salkhad for over forty years. She also served as the president of the Women's Union, during which time she tirelessly advocated for women’s rights in labor and education. In her retirement, Salwa volunteered her time tutoring students and founded a local charity that served children with disabilities.

Salwa Azzam dedicated her life to the education of women and the plight of the poor. She was as compassionate as she was intelligent, and she will be dearly missed by the countless people whose lives she touched.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the cases or campaigns funded by the Molham Volunteering Team, a nonprofit that strives to provide basic necessities such as food, shelter, and medication to Syrians in need. 

A few selected campaigns are listed below. 

Loaf of Bread Campaign to provide food to refugee families: https://molhamteam.com/en/campaigns/212

Urgent Cases Fund to support families in immediate need: https://molhamteam.com/en/campaigns/218

Infant Formula and Diapers to children in refugee camps: https://molhamteam.com/en/campaigns/219

Student Support Fund for Syrian students: https://molhamteam.com/en/campaigns/214

Information regarding the Molham Volunteering Team: https://molhamteam.com/en/about

 

A Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday 7/7/2020 at 2:00 PM at Westover Memorial Park, 2601 Wheeler Road, Augusta GA. 706-733 3601

Family will start receiving friends at 1:30 PM and Service will start at 2:00 PM.