Neda’s Journey

An Afghan Refugee Girl Finds Hope and Opportunity through an Education Cannot Wait-Supported Initiative Delivered by UNHCR and UNICEF in Greece

By Education Cannot Wait

September 28^th, 2022

10-year-old Neda has big dreams for the future.

“My goal in life is to become a painter because I like to draw a lot.”

When she was only seven years old, she was forced to leave her home in Afghanistan to escape unimaginable uncertainty and violence.

After an arduous journey Neda and her family arrived in Greece in 2019. They moved repeatedly due to the overwhelming number of refugees in shelters and centers across the country. They were first placed at the camp of Moria in Lesvos, and then moved to a refugee camp in Kleidi.

Today, Neda lives with her parents and little sister in a container house in a refugee camp in Serres, Northern Greece – along with other families and refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine.

Neda showing off her artistic skills to Manan Kotak, ECW Education Specialist, at the UNICEF Greece Country Office. Photo © UNICEF Greece/Kotak/2022

When Neda arrived in Greece, she was anxious and afraid. But she’s found comfort in her safe surroundings, where she can spend time taking care of her one-year-old sister Yasra. She appreciates the nature beyond the refugee camp.

“I like the sea and the beaches in this country. They are so beautiful – I also like the mountains and the forests.”

Neda’s community at her public school in Greece has helped with the transition. Back in Afghanistan, she wasn’t able to go to school. Even before the Taliban takeover in 2021, an estimated 3.7 million Afghan children were out of school — 60% of whom were girls — and today girls’ access to education is limited to primary school in most of Afghanistan’s provinces.

Neda is grateful for the opportunity to attend school for the first time in her life. With support from her teachers she’s making friends and learning to dream again.

Children in a non-formal education classroom in Serres, Northern Greece. Photo © UNICEF Greece/Kotak/2022

After school, Neda attends non-formal education classes at the camp. Here, she has a teacher that can assist her with Greek, English, math and science, among other subjects. It’s her chance to catch up after a lifetime of missed opportunities.

“My favorite subject is English, but I like art and drawing more.”

Today, there are 222 million crisis-impacted children and adolescents requiring urgent educational support. The Education Cannot Wait (ECW) #222MillionDreams✨📚 campaign encourages supporters to call on leaders to address this global education crisis for children like Neda, who are being denied their human right to an education.

Through a program delivered by UNICEF and UNHCR in Greece with funding from Education Cannot Wait, Neda is closer to realizing her dream.

In 2019, after violence in the Middle East caused refugee numbers to surge in the region, ECW stepped in to mobilize a First Emergency Response (FER) funds as expediently as possible. FER funds respond to the most immediate and urgent education needs in sudden-onset and escalating crises. They restore educational resources and provide continuity of learning.

Through ECW investments in Greece in 2019 — and with continued support from donors such as the EU Commission and UNICEF’s implementing partners like ARSIS, DRC, ELIX, METAdrasi, SolidarityNow — Neda has been able to attend non-formal education classes, where she and other refugees are given the space to express themselves creatively and recover from the stress of their forced displacement.

Neda standing outside a classroom in Serres, Northern Greece. Photo © UNICEF Greece/Kotak/2022

“My family and friends like my drawings, and they encourage me to draw more and more. Through drawing, I can express my feelings and thoughts easily,” says Neda.

These non-formal classes provide Neda with a strong community and a sense of belonging. She participates in classes with more than 80 students in the camp who have also fled their homes and in some cases lost family members. Together, the children have an outlet for their collective trauma.

In the past two years, the Greek Government and country partners have taken over in the recovery phase to support the most marginalized children, and mobilized resources in the education sector in Greece, but it wouldn’t have been possible without initial funds from ECW.

With ECW's High-Level Financing Conference (HLFC) coming up in February 2023, we are calling on global leaders, individuals, and institutions in the private and public sectors to step up and commit substantive funding contributions to ECW to make sure children like Neda can achieve their dreams. Together we can realize #222MillionDreams✨📚 for the leaders of tomorrow.

Non-Formal Education classes are run by UNICEF and other implementing partners. Photo © UNICEF Greece/Kotak/2022

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