Child Refugee Crisis

2.4 million Syrian children are currently out of school. Save the Children supports over 90 education facilities including schools, to make sure that all children can continue to learn. Basma*, 11, is one of the children helped by your generosity. 

Despite being a diligent student and a passionate learner, Basma was forced to leave school because of the conflict in Syria. When she was in the second grade, Basma witnessed a bombardment during a school day. After that she spent the remainder of the school year in a makeshift school in a basement.

The following year was particularly hard for the family. In the space of 12 months Basma lost her father, her best friend, and her favorite teacher and her brother and sister were left with permanent disabilities from their injuries. The family was forced to leave their home and seek refuge in a displacement camp in North East Syria. This ended Basma’s education while she was only in the third grade.

After two years of disruption from her education, Basma was enrolled in Save the Children’s school at the camp. Basma dreams of becoming a doctor one day to honor her father and help fund the treatment of her sick mother.

Basma's mother, Fatma*, has this to say about Save the Children's assistance: "When I see them coming back from school, I almost tear up. It feels like the old days. They keep telling me what they learned. I follow up on their education. Life in the camp is by no means normal and that is why having schools is very important. Had it not been for school, the children would have been stuck in a vicious cycle. Save the Children school made that old dream possible again."

(*All names have been changed to protect identities.)

Links:

• Save the Children - Syria
• Save the Children - Education

Dana*, 12, is originally from Dair Ezzor in Syria. Her family of ten have been living in Al Hol displacement camp for three years. Dana only managed to complete the first year of her schooling before her family were forced to flee their home. Since then, Save the Children’s Temporary Learning Space in the camp has been Dana’s main source of education. She has been a student at the Temporary Learning Space for the three years her family have been in Al Hol. It has made a huge difference to Dana’s life and the life of her family.

In the words of Dana’s mother, “I was hoping that my children can have the opportunity to study here [Al Hol camp]. They didn’t before. The schools were getting bombed. So there was no education. Now, I have five children attending Save the Children school here”.

Save the Children currently operates eight Temporary Learning Spaces in three camps in North East Syria. Temporary Learning Spaces provide access to quality non-formal education opportunities for children aged six to 17, many of whom have faced multiple displacements and have been out of school for a prolonged period of time. Indeed, many children have never been to school at all. Temporary Learning Spaces offer two education tracks to meet the learning needs of each child:

1) Basic Literacy and Numeracy for children aged nine and above who have not yet acquired these foundational skills.

2) The Self Learning Program - a curriculum designed for children to achieve competencies in line with the formal school system.

Each Temporary Learning Space supports 400-600 children. These children are also supported through recreational psychosocial support activities.