Suriye savaşının on bir yılı aşkın sürmesi, evlerin, altyapının ve temel hizmetlerin yaygın olarak tahrip edilmesine yol açtı. Suriye toplumu hala etkileriyle karşı karşıya. 6,7 milyondan fazla insan yerinden edilmek zorunda kaldı ve çoğunluğu kuzey Suriye bölgesine göçtü. Bu bölgede 1,9 milyonun üzerinde insan, çoğu planlı olmayan (HNO) geçici yerleşimlerde yaşıyor.

Eğitim, büyük ölçüde etkilenen sorunlardan biri. Bu durum, bütün bir nesli eğitim sürecinin dışında bırakmış ve temel eğitim hakkından mahrum etmiştir. Okur-yazarlık oranı hızla arttı ve Birleşmiş Milletler’in 2021 yılı istatistiklerine göre 2,5 milyonun üzerinde çocuk okul dışı. JENA’ya göre, kuzeybatı Suriye’deki çocukların %44’ü eğitim sürecinin dışında.

Çocukların okula gitmeme veya okulu bırakmalarının nedenleri şunlardır:

• Süregelen savaş nedeniyle sık sık yer değiştirme.
• Okulların ikamet yerlerine uzaklığı veya olmaması, çünkü yerinden edilenlerin çoğu uzak kamplarda yaşıyor.
• Daha önce bombalanmış olmaları nedeniyle okullar güvenli değil.
• Çocukların yaşı, sınıf için belirlenen yaşın üstüne çıkmış.
• Birçok öğretmenin göç etmesi ve maaşların düşük olması nedeniyle öğretmen sayısının azlığı.

Dahası, faktörlerden biri de birçok çocuğun ekonomik kriz nedeniyle geçimini sağlamak için çalışmaya zorlanmasıdır. Çocuk işçiliği şehirlerde ve kamplarda yaygınlaştı ve Covid-19’un yayılması da eğitimi olumsuz etkiledi.

Günümüzde Suriye’de 12 yaşında olup alfabeden habersiz, okuma yazma bilmeyen bir çocuk bulmak normaldir. Resmi istatistiklere göre, okur-yazarlık oranı kuzey Suriye şehirlerinde %80’in üzerine çıkmış, kamplardaki çocuklar arasında ise %100’e ulaşmıştır, özellikle kız çocuklar arasında.

Eğitimin gerçeğini ileriye taşımak için çabaları birleştirmek ve mevcut imkanları harekete geçirmek gerekiyordu. Huda Yardım Kurumu, birçok alanda toplam 172 dersliğin bulunduğu ve 4.983 öğrenciye eğitim veren, 172 erkek ve kadın öğretmenin gözetiminde temel Arapça, aritmetik ve bazı sosyal davranışların öğretildiği ve erdemli değerlerin Suriye toplumuna aşılandığı okuryazarlık kursları ve mobil eğitim çadırı projeleri aracılığıyla bu alanda adım atmayı başlattı. Eğitim, Suriye’nin çocukları için parlak bir gelecek inşa etmenin umudu olmaya devam ediyor.

Several months passed in northern Syria, which made a big difference in the lives of many residents. Where children often went through a new experience for the first time, and they lived days filled with enthusiasm and suspense, which resulted in the lighting of many tents and houses that have been drowned in the darkness of ignorance and the unknown for many years.

By the end of the ninth month, there were more than 4,900 Syrian children shining with light and eager to reach the final day of the fourth educational course for literacy that is being held by the Humanitarian Development Aid Org. (Huda) in northern Syria, starting from Idlib to the areas of Raqqa. This course began in April 2022. It lasted for 6 months.

During it, Huda Charity established 172 classrooms in the regions of Idlib, Aleppo and Raqqa, supervised by teachers who were carefully selected based on their experience in illiteracy and dealing with displaced communities and children who drop out of education because of the special circumstances they are going through.

During this interesting journey, the students acquired a lot of knowledge and sciences derived from Huda’s educational curriculum, which includes all the basics of literacy, starting with the primary goal of learning the Arabic language to read and write until they became able to read and write everything they saw or came to their mind, including the Holy Quran, they also learned basic arithmetic operations to help them conduct their daily transactions easily. The curriculum also considers aspects of life skills and the promotion of values in the lives of children derived from the stories and tales of the Syrian culture.

What distinguishes Huda Charity programs is the high rate of female participations, as the percentage of female students reached 35.6% of the total participating students, and we seek to increase the attraction of girls during the upcoming sessions.

At the end of the sixth month of the training course, the final exams were conducted in reading, writing, and arithmetic operations, and it was announced that the students had overcome and conquered illiteracy, and started a new stage in their lives by joining schools close to the housing area, where the supervisors worked in Huda Charity to communicate and coordinate with the school administration to enroll students in the classes that appropriate to their academic age.

It is worth noting that the Syrian crisis left millions of children out of the educational process because of repeated displacement and the lack of schools and teachers, and because of the lack of funding provided to the education sector, which impedes its improvement.

 

However, this experience had a different and distinct taste, along with exciting aspects that I would not have experienced had I not joined the Huda Charitable Organization as a literacy teacher. Here, I traverse distances to reach my educational class, which is a tent where children, who have never set foot in a school, perhaps only knowing its name without ever visiting or imagining it, gather. They arrived at the educational tent, arranged themselves, eagerly anticipating learning and knowledge. How can I describe this feeling to you?

Success here has two facets. Firstly, exerting effort within the possible limits despite limited resources, and on the level of utilizing skills to deal with a group of children unlike any we have encountered before. They have not experienced school, their ages vary, and many of them suffer from clear psychological effects. Here lies the other aspect of success: discovering the skills and potentials God has blessed you with, skills and potentials you would not have known about if it weren’t for your work in the literacy program.

Surprisingly, you gain new experience here. Even though in your teaching journey you are accustomed to easily handling questions, here is a new path and a rich experience. Lectures and guidance from the supervisors at the Huda literacy program enriched my experience and honed my skills. I sensed success through a child who didn’t know how to draw the letter ‘Alif’ or hold a pen, but now writes and reads the Quran fluently.”

Education is the foundation of nations’ progress and development. Wherever you look in the course of nations, knowledge is an indispensable basis. Hence, this profession has been dear to my heart since the beginning of my journey in life. How could it not be, when you see the tangible impact of success unfolding before your eyes, step by step, day by day? Above all, there is the ultimate goal of pleasing Almighty God.

However, this experience had a different and distinct taste, along with exciting aspects that I would not have experienced had I not joined the Huda Charitable Organization as a literacy teacher. Here, I traverse distances to reach my educational class, which is a tent where children, who have never set foot in a school, perhaps only knowing its name without ever visiting or imagining it, gather. They arrived at the educational tent, arranged themselves, eagerly anticipating learning and knowledge. How can I describe this feeling to you?

Success here has two facets. Firstly, exerting effort within the possible limits despite limited resources, and on the level of utilizing skills to deal with a group of children unlike any we have encountered before. They have not experienced school, their ages vary, and many of them suffer from clear psychological effects. Here lies the other aspect of success: discovering the skills and potentials God has blessed you with, skills and potentials you would not have known about if it weren’t for your work in the literacy program.

Surprisingly, you gain new experience here. Even though in your teaching journey you are accustomed to easily handling questions, here is a new path and a rich experience. Lectures and guidance from the supervisors at the Huda literacy program enriched my experience and honed my skills. I sensed success through a child who didn’t know how to draw the letter ‘Alif’ or hold a pen, but now writes and reads the Quran fluently.”

Among the thousands of students who joined the Huda Educational Program in its fifth cycle, you are bound to find all forms of suffering, each with its degrees. This is in a country ravaged by relentless war for years. Despite a relative stabilization in the conditions within the camps and cities of northern Syria, we are still reaping the bitter fruits of war on the health of our children.

The joy of Mohammed’s family upon seeing him grow was incomplete. The treacherous aircrafts assassinated a part of this joy by bombing their house when he was not even three years old. This incident caused him problems that concealed the smiles from his parents. He hasn’t been growing like other children, both physically and behaviorally. His condition doesn’t align with a child at his tender age who should be playing, having fun, and learning new things. Moreover, the child has been refusing to attend school, despite strong encouragement from his parents.

This time, the Huda Educational convoy reached the area where young Mohammed resides. The Huda team met Mohammed and his parents, who shared that Mohammed quickly forgets and cannot retain the lessons or what they teach him. They couldn’t rely on him due to his forgetfulness, a fact reiterated by his grandmother.

A conversation was held between the team, Mohammed himself, and his family, persuading him to join Huda’s classes. When he agreed, a genuine and sweet smile adorned his face, accompanied by a nod. His grandfather shouted with joy and excitement at this historic decision.

Contrary to his family’s expectations, Mohammed joined the class and continued to attend without boredom, complaints, or interruptions, integrating with his new friends and his teacher. The teacher, trained in literacy teacher qualification program, paid special attention to Mohammed, utilizing his experience and skills gained during the training on dealing with children with special needs.

Mohammed’s performance improved, showcasing a distinctive and beautiful handwriting compared to his peers. Despite academic challenges, he could read and write.