In East Aleppo, school provides a sanctuary for those who have lived only through war. At the Shaar center, Mohammad and Ghina are returning to school.
The Right to Education in Aleppo
The situation in Syria remains dramatic. This is evidenced by the war that broke out in early January which, despite the ceasefire reached after a few days between Kurdish fighters and government forces, caused a new wave of displacement. In a country where over 2.5 million children do not attend school, our educational centers in East Aleppo — Karm Dodoa, Shaar, and Myasser — guarantee the educational continuity necessary to prevent permanent dropout.
In fact, despite the economic crisis and the closure of many international organizations, our centers continue to welcome approximately 4,500 young people every year, offering an integrated model that combines literacy and psychological support. Here, school and after-school activities rescue children and youth from child labor and the risks of conflict.
At School to Become a Veterinarian
Behind the numbers of this crisis are the faces of those who have seen their childhood denied. Mohammad is 13 years old, and his testimony is that of thousands of other children forced to flee the war.
"We fled our village under the bombings. A bomb injured me, and I had to stay in the hospital for two months. When we finally arrived in Aleppo, we found this center"
Mohammad, 12 years old
Safe from the conflict, among the desks of Shaar, Mohammad found the courage to be curious again. While in overcrowded public schools it is difficult even to be heard, here he has rediscovered the freedom to ask questions. He studies with the determination of someone who has a clear goal: he wants to become a veterinarian, to treat animals as his father did in their village and to one day care for the land he was forced to leave.
Ghina’s School: A New Normalcy
For his sister Ghina as well, the East Aleppo center represented a new beginning. Welcomed immediately along with her family, she found normalcy among the school desks: a place where the hardships of the past months have given way to a rediscovered serenity. For her, returning to study was a concrete sign of a profound change.
"We suffered a lot, but now we know we have entered a new phase: the terrible moments we lived through no longer haunt us. Today, they don't hurt as much as they did before"
Ghina, 13 years old
