There are 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. They fled Syria as a result of the conflict that broke out there after the Arab Spring protests in 2011. Among them are hundreds of thousands of children, many of whom have never set foot in a classroom.
Lost life chances
According to the UN refugee agency, 44% of school-aged refugee children (ages 6-17) do not attend school, and only 35% of young people (aged 15-24 years) have ever been to school.
Syrian children in Lebanon often cannot afford the cost of transportation (30% of children), the cost of education materials (27%), or have to work to feed their families (9%).
Those who can afford to go to school may not be allowed to register. Since the economic collapse in Lebanon in 2019, many teachers have gone on strike, resulting in school closures. Many schools do not have enough spaces for Lebanese children, let alone the Syrians.
With their families facing dire poverty, Syrian children are often sent out to work or beg. The UN reports that Syrian refugee children in the Bekaa valley, an area in the east of the country with the greatest concentration of refugees, are often unable to attend school as they enter child labour, picking potatoes and other crops to supplement their family income.
If they miss out on school education, these children will never learn to read, write or do basic maths, severely limiting their opportunities throughout their lives.
Building opportunity
Working with our partner on the ground, SAWA, Action Syria uses money from your donations to fund the salaries of 13 teachers, enabling over 200 children to get an education. Each day, the children arrive from neighbouring camps to learn Arabic, English, science and maths.
Many of our students have experienced extreme conflict, forced displacement, or do not know life outside of the camps. The majority of their 13 teachers are from the same community and have lived similar experiences. We also provide transport to get them safely to and from school, and materials so they can study and learn.
Kefaa’s story
Kefaa, age 10, is one of the 200 children attending Action Syria’s school in the Bekaa valley. Before starting school, she was extremely scared of strangers, and refused to leave her parents’ side.
She spent her first week at the school crying and refused to enter the classrooms with the other children. However, with the continuous support and care of her teacher, Ms. Souad, and individual psycho-social support sessions to help her overcome her fears and anxieties, Kefaa was able to start learning.
We are delighted that Kefaa is now a dedicated and happy student. She loves school and her favourite subject is English.
Help us reach more children
This educational opportunity has already made a transformative difference in the life of Kefaa and of many other Syrian refugee children around her. It will continue to have a huge impact on their lives for years to come.
Please donate whatever you can now, so that we can keep going with our education support for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and help even more children to get the chance they deserve to thrive.
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