Refugee Syrian girls and boys, who have fled unthinkable violence and destruction in their home country, are now seeking education in Lebanon to build brighter tomorrows for themselves and their families.
Since 2011, Lebanon has seen about 1.7 million Syrians – many of them children and youth – cross into the country. Today, Lebanon hosts the largest per capita population of Syrian refugees in the world. This mass influx of people seeking safety and opportunity places additional pressure on already over-stretched and under-funded institutions.
It also adds to the pre-existing educational challenges faced by refugees, the host-community and Lebanese children.
These challenges have only multiplied as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is currently supporting online learning for marginalized children in Lebanon whose schools were closed because of the pandemic (some have since returned to blended-learning).
Through ECW funding, thousands of children were able to receive lessons at home. While issues remain to be addressed, as Director Yasmine Sherif and the ECW team heard during their December 2020 visit to Lebanon's children, the message has been overwhelmingly positive.
"I say to all children, hold on to your dreams." - Yasmine Sherif, ECW Director
Below: Click and navigate through the following collection of stories, gathered from young Syrian refugees during Education Cannot Wait’s Lebanon Mission, Dec. 2020. Read how Nadia, Azhar, Mona and Hussein – four children living on the frontlines of crises in Lebanon – view education:
(Read more about ECW's Lebanon Mission: Part 1 and Part 2)
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