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Success Story: How Jinan Overcame Displacement
When a crisis strikes, children are typically the most affected.
Displacement and numerous conflicts frequently present insurmountable barriers to education, therefore many children drop out as a result of leaving and transferring from one place to another.
Jinan, a 14-year-old girl from Idlib who benefited from the remedial class program in Darayya, Rural Damascus, recounts her story. “We had to flee our town in Idlib while I was in second grade, owing to the conflict. After my father and mother divorced, my brothers and I moved to Rural Damascus and settled in Darayya.”
Jinan says, “My mother had no job and the economic conditions were stressful when we moved to Darayya. Despite this, she quickly registered me and my brothers in school. However, due to our previous experiences, we had a low level of education. I am currently in eighth grade, considered a preparatory class for the ninth-grade certificate. I was scared that I would fail because my mother was unable to enroll me in private classes due to our present economic situation. Besides this, I had used up all the stationery that my mother bought for me at the start of the year, and we couldn’t afford more.”
“Then, ADRA came to the school and told us about the remedial class program. I was so excited to tell my mother and she raced to register me. During registration, ADRA informed us that they would distribute school kits to all the participating students with all the supplies we would need.”
“Since starting the program, I’ve felt like I’m getting better every day. I was also really pleased with all of my peers. The day we received our school kits was my favorite day at school! For the first time, I received a great present. It is even more valuable since it was provided to us at a time when we required it most.”
“I am grateful to ADRA for providing me with a chance to participate in this highly beneficial program. Thank you for giving us hope for a better future.”
RECOVER Concludes in Al Tell and Maarba
RECOVER activities conclude for out of school children in Al Tell and Maarba, Rural Damascus.
Tucked away in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains just north of Damascus lies the city of Al Tell, home to the Al Tell School for Children, where on 29 February 2024, a closing ceremony was held for activities aimed at returning out-of-school children to formal education in Al Tell and neighboring Maarba village, as part of the Resilience in Emergency Contexts and Opportunities for the Vulnerable Enabling Recovery (RECOVER) project.
The ceremony opened with a word from one of the schools’ headmasters, followed by a play performed by the children about the sun and moon losing their light, only to discover that light can still be found in their books.
For these children, RECOVER’s activities represent their best chance of obtaining an education during their entire lives. Participation also helps them avoid being put to work due to Syria’s current severe economic conditions.
“The RECOVER program affected the personality, the character of the students,” one parent proudly asserted.
During the ceremony, an English teacher from the Mixed Maarba School also emphasized the difference one could tell in the children from when RECOVER began.
In Al Tell and Maarba, RECOVER repaired two schools, provided remedial classes for children who have fallen behind in school, provided psychosocial support and counseling for children affected by the crisis, hosted teacher training workshops, and hosted info sessions for parents on topics of concern.
The RECOVER project, funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), is implemented nationwide and is concerned with returning children to school, keeping them in school, and repairing schools, along with repairing public water networks to strengthen communities for potential crises in the future.
Although project work is finishing, its impact will last forever. The ceremony was more of a celebration—teachers, parents, and children alike were all grateful for the chance of a brighter future that ADRA facilitated.
Success Story: Nour’s Testimony to ADRA’s Non-formal Education Program
After years of hardship, 17-year-old Nour looks ahead with optimism thanks to better education opportunities.
The children of Syria who have watched years of crisis in full have faced a great deal of hardship and terrible memories. Many young people experienced changes in living situations and were deprived of education as a result of harsh economic conditions.
Nour, a 17-year-old girl from Darayya, Rural Damascus, shares some of the difficulties she was subjected to. She says, “After returning to Darayaa with my family, my father died, leaving me, my mother, and my sister without a breadwinner. My father’s passing caused me to experience psychological trauma. It was so harsh, I failed seventh grade.”
Nour goes on to say, “When I failed, I didn’t find anyone to support or console me. On the other hand, everyone began blaming me and calling me a failure. I just wanted support from someone other than my mother. Unfortunately, the effects of what I was exposed to forced me to drop out of school and stay at home. I accepted the idea of failure.”
“But my mother encouraged me to try again for the ninth-grade certificate. Indeed, I returned to school with the expectation that I would fail. Sadly, everyone around us kept telling me I was going to fail, so my self-esteem crashed. I was really shy and quiet, with no friends at school.”
When asked how she registered for the ADRA program, Nour said that ADRA visited the school to talk about the remedial class program.
“Then, I went to my mother and told her that I wanted to enroll in remedial classes because I needed a chance to better my educational level. Once I started attending, I began to feel that my education had improved, and my mother observed it as well. I had hoped for success in the ninth grade, but I was not expecting such a positive improvement!” Nour, the shy young girl who did not want to take part in the lessons, now stands at the blackboard and teaches her classmates. She even had a chance to teach an entire mathematics lesson, which was truly a memorable experience.
Nour ends by thanking ADRA for the program: “If it hadn’t existed, I’d have continued being the shy, introverted girl with a lack of self-confidence. Today, I can stand up and face the entire world while chasing my passion. Thank you, ADRA, for helping us in accomplishing our goals.”
