Syria: The hardship and hope of children
Story highlights
- Over 10 years of conflict in Syria have upended lives and disrupted education for millions of children.
- A GPE grant of $6.25 million, managed by Save the Children, has helped strengthen educational pathways for children who have been out of school due to the devastating effects of the conflict.
- The stories of Ali, Danyal, Maya, Faiza, Fatima and Nasser show how temporary learning spaces, functioning with support from GPE, give children in Syria the opportunity to learn basic skills and receive psychological support.
This story was written in collaboration with Save the Children.
Meet 6 children of displaced families living in informal camps in Northeast Syria. They enrolled in school for the first time in 2022 thanks to a temporary learning space established near their camps. They are learning basic skills, like reading and counting, and participate in psychological support sessions.
A GPE grant of $6.25 million for 2021-2024, managed by Save the Children, has helped strengthen educational pathways for children who have been out of school due to the devastating effects of over 10 years of conflict.
Note: All names in the following profiles have been changed to protect the children, their families and community.
Ali, 14
“Displacement and exposure to war scenes have deeply affected children. Educational centers and schools play a crucial role in guiding them back to their natural state. Initially, Ali exhibited isolation and had difficulty integrating with his peers. Over time, he began to regain his personality.”
Danyal, 13, and Maya, 12
“We have a safe space for children, and the classrooms are equipped with supplies. We have provided them with school bags. This helps the parents to have enthusiasm, and a dose of hope. In the beginning, we had 300 children, and because of the interest and insistence of the parents, it became 600, then 1,200, and now we have 2,000 children.”
Faiza and Fatima, 8
Nasser, 14
“When they were building the school, I used to look at them from my tent. I do recall all the stages of building the center. While watching the worker, I was imagining how I would wake up every morning and go with friends to this center.”
“For many years thousands of children living in this camp were deprived of attending a school. Families are not able to cover the costs of sending their children to a school because the nearest one is about 5 kilometers, and the transportation costs a lot. I remember the first day we started constructing the temporary learning space and how happy the families and the children were. They were coming every day asking about the opening day.”
“My son is now in the third grade, one of my daughters is also in third grade and the youngest one is in the second grade. They now know how to read and write, and the organization helped us by distributing school bags, notebooks, and pens.”
“Without the support of Save the Children, I would not have been able to educate my children, and many families in the camp are in a similar situation. It is crucial that the educational centers continue to operate and remain close to the camp.”
“I hope that their future will be better, without war or bombing, and that the situation will be safe, and we will return to our homes and schools and universities will return.”