Education For Children Inside Syria

Dear Friend,

The Syria crisis, now in its ninth year, has had a disastrous impact on the lives of children, youth and their families across the region. Since 2011, the crisis has affected over 11.8 million Syrians. Due to your support, UNICEF has been able to work alongside partners to ensure that Syrian children are able to continue learning, despite the face that 1/3 of Syrian schools have been damaged or destroyed.

Four years ago, Ahmad was enjoying the summer break and preparing to enter sixth grade when violence escalated in his hometown of Mari'a in rural Deir-ez-Zor, Syria. Ahmad and his family had to flee the fighting. Ahmad, his parents and six siblings moved four times in the next three years, from one village to another, as the Syrian civil war raged around them. Last year, they finally settled in Areesheh camp in Al-Hasakeh Governate. "It was the most challenging time of my life," Ahmad recalls. "Imagine going from one place to another, barely staying a few months."

But Ahmad chose not to give up. His family fled with very few belongings. He grabbed some books from his father's library and a small blackboard. I didn't know how long I would be out of school. But I wanted to make sure that I did not forget what I had already learned.

Soon after Ahmad and his family moved into the tented camp of Areesheh in the Hassakeh Governate, UNICEF set up several tents to serve as an educational center for out-of-school children. At the center, children between the ages of 6 and 15 study English, Arabic, math and sciences, including physics and chemistry, using a Self-Learning Program (SLP), with the help of volunteers. Thanks to your support and to the Self-Learning Program from Educate A Child and UNICEF USA, their futures look brighter. "I always keep in mind that if I don't study now, I will regret it in the future," says Ahmad, wise beyond his years. Only a year into his studies at the center, Ahmad and 21 other students sat for placement exams and obtained their Grade 6 certificate.

Ahmad is just one of more than 139,000 students who have benefited from this program, and we so appreciate your support of ensuring their access to continued learning opportunities.

Ahmad dreams of becoming an engineer and is confident of what the future holds for him, with renewed hope to continue his education.

"What keeps me going, despite the displacement and violence I have witnessed, is that I know I will succeed. I'm not afraid of the future because I'm preparing myself for it, with my education."

Due to your support, UNICEF and partners continue to work across Syria and in neighboring countries to help provide children with essential health, education, protection and nutrition services and to help build families' resilience.

In Partnership,

Whitney Simon

Dear Friend,

The Syria crisis, now in its ninth year, has had a disastrous impact on the lives of children, youth and their families across the region. Since 2011, the crisis has affected over 11.8 million Syrians. Of these, 6.2 million have been internally displaced, many multiple times, and 5.6 million have sought refuge in a host country.

The crisis in Syria has had a dire impact on education in the country. The conflict has significantly increased the proportion of out-of-school Syrian children and youth from 14% in the 2011-12 school year to 36% (2.1 million children) in the 2017-18 school year. Every year since 2013, around one-third of school-age children and youth in Syria have been out of school and a whole generation of children and youth has received inadequate education.

In an effort to address these challenges facing out-of-school children in Syria, UNICEF developed quality alternative education models, enabling children with limited or no access to school to continue their learning at home, in non-governmental organization (NGO) centers, in community learning centers or in public school settings, in order to both catch up with lost learning and prepare for placement tests and national exams, ultimately offering a pathway for reintegration into formal education systems and opening up a lifetime of possibilities.

Over three years, UNICEF plans to reach at least 298,000 out-of-school children in Syria with self-learning materials, supportive teachers, safe and inviting learning spaces, and increased access to essential psychosocial support and recreational activities. Since the beginning of the program in 2018, a total of 139,003 out-of-school children enrolled in Self-Learning Program or Curriculum B activities across Syria. As of June 30, 2019, UNICEF and partners have accomplished the following results:

• Enrolled 54,571 out-of-school children in the Self-Learning Program;
• Supported the activation of 537 learning spaces in public schools, homes, community centers and tents in camps;
• Reached 42,792 children with psychosocial support; and
• Recruited 6,534 teachers and trained 3,693 to be facilitators for the Self-Learning Program

Despite the many challenges, the Self-Learning Program provides a flexible approach to learning that gives children easier access to education, particularly for populations on the move. Thanks to your generous support, UNICEF is able to provide out-of-school children in Syria with one of the most important keys to unlock their full potential – education.

In Partnership,

Whitney

Links:

• Educating Syria's Next Generation