Education.. A Pathway to Recovery

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“During the Syrian war, we had a lot of hard times and sad moments in our lives. One of the worst things that happened to me was that I couldn’t go to school and my education was disrupted for almost five years. It was a very bad experience, because I used to love to go to school to learn new things. We got stuck for three years in Syria and then came to Lebanon, where I remained uneducated for two years” says 14-year-old Asma, shedding light on the devastating reality that many young refugees face when it comes to education.

Asma was among many other students who finally got access to education at the KSrelief-funded UNESCO Middle School, located in Saadnayel. “I was very happy to get the chance and go to school again,” she says. “I made new friends, met with new teachers and got back to the education that I had always loved. At first, I was nervous and faced some difficulties in learning, because I almost forgot what I knew and could barely remember the letters (of the alphabet)”.

Having not attended school for some time, Asma had to be placed in a lower grade level than others in her age group, so she was older than her classmates. Instead of being discouraged, she was motivated by her teachers, who told her that “education has no age, and if there is a will, then there is a way”; these are words she says she’ll never forget.

“I studied hard and read lots of books and saw myself improving. I learned English and how to use the computer, and started to realize how smart I was after only one year (back in school). Thanks to all the support I get from my school and my teachers, I love my life, and I spend beautiful days with my friends and family.”