Children on the Edge
  • DONATE
    • The Big Give 2022
  • COUNTRIES
    • Country Overview
    • BANGLADESH >
      • Kutupalong
      • Cox's Bazar & Doharazi
    • INDIA
    • LEBANON
    • MYANMAR
    • UGANDA >
      • Jinja
      • Kyaka II
    • UKRAINE
  • ABOUT US
    • WHO WE ARE
    • Contact Us
    • 2022 Highlights
    • Annual Report
    • Awards
    • Meet the team
    • Our Story
    • Our Values
    • Our Partners
  • OUR WORK
    • OUR WORK Overview
    • Working on 'the Edge'
    • Safe Spaces
    • Child Rights
    • Refugee Education
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Cluster Learning In Uganda
    • Supporting Slum Communities
    • Tackling Caste Discrimination
    • Ending Child Sacrifice
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Get Our Email Updates
    • Autumn Raffle
    • Fundraise For Us
    • Challenge Events >
      • Virtual Challenge
      • Run The London Marathon
    • Schools
    • Trusts & Foundations
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • The Body Shop at Home
    • Volunteer
    • Shop
  • LATEST STORIES
Picture

LATEST STORIES

Click to donate

Grade 9 Students in Lebanon Celebrate Exam Success

16/8/2022

0 Comments

 
This year's Grade 9 students gathered on the balcony of the school smiling with their thumbs up
Grade 9 Syrian refugee students from the school we support in Lebanon have recently taken their high school exams in Syria with a 100% pass rate. Read on to find out about their exam adventure.
The school we support for Syrian refugees in Zahle, Lebanon enables their older students to prepare for and then take the national Syrian exam back in Syria each year. For the past two years, small groups of Grade 9 students have crossed the border at the end of the summer term to take this exam, with huge success rates, thanks to the dedication and commitment of both students and their teachers.

The journey doesn't come without risk, but taking their exams in Syria enables the children to be prepared for a future at home in Syrian and allows them to continue their education if, and when a return to their home country is possible.

This years' cohort of 14 were preparing and revising during Ramadan, which fell during the last month before the Grade 9 class left to sit their exams in Syria. This meant that students were fasting both food and water during the day, as well as staying up late and waking up early to eat. These weren’t ideal circumstances for preparing for such an important exam, but despite these challenges, the students were focused and committed to studying as much as they could during their last weeks of revision.

It was quite a challenge this year for the team to convince understandably protective parents to allow their children to go to Syria for 26 days without them. One mother in particular was on the fence until the very last moment, and two teachers went to her house to be with her and comfort her, not only while her child went with the other students to the border, but over the course of the rest of time they were away. 
A Syrian student is wearing a white headscarf and smiling as she hugs someone
Students saying goodbye before they set off
A group of teenage students, wearing headscarves are gathered together outside a minibus smiling at the camera before they set off to cross the border from Lebanon into Syria
Students together at the border
The crossing into Syria went much smoother than last year’s. They did have to wait for hours  at the border, and there was some speculation over students who had crossed into Lebanon unofficially, but everyone made it through safely. 

All the students were well taken care of in Syria. They had hot meals delivered to them daily as well as school supplies, and they were able to communicate with their parents. The centre where they were staying offered revision lessons led by Syrian teachers to help them prepare for their exam, so all the students felt confident. 

Once they finished the exam and were ready to return to Lebanon, some of the students who weren't vaccinated against Covid-19 had to wait a week for a PCR test. The vaccinated students returned home while the others waited for their PCR results in Syria. This was unfortunate, especially as the parents were so eager for their children to be home, but six days later they crossed the border back into Lebanon without incident. 

Our partners in Zahle were so proud to hear that all 14 students passed which is such a huge accomplishment and all the teachers and parents are incredibly proud. Their success is also testament to the incredible staff at the school, who have supported Grade 9's to pass with flying colours not just this year, but in 2021 and 2020 too. ​

MEET HIBBA

Hibba joined the school in Zahle at the end of last year, with the goal of being able to take her Grade 9 exams in Syria.

She has dreams of becoming a detective or a nurse in the future, loves school and wants to continue her education.

​She is a natural leader and the other students were immediately drawn to her when she joined the school, looking to her for advice and guidance. 

​Hibba has had a difficult life, and her family has experienced much loss. 
Picture
Her mother is a widow and many of her older siblings were killed in the Syrian war, so Hibba helps her mum out a lot and as a result, her Mum relies on her for everything, so she has had to grow up pretty quickly.

Hibba is one of the poorest members of the school, as her mum doesn’t have an income. They live in a makeshift tent they constructed from tarp and corrugated tin. This winter was extremely hard on them, and there were times Hibba couldn’t study at home because she was just too cold. The fuel vouchers provided by Children on the Edge this winter were very welcome as they provided the family’s only source of heat.

Despite these challenges, Hibba has embraced her studies head on and has been really involved in class activities, including the initiative earlier this to repair tents and support their communities through the winter. When the group assessed Hibba’s camp, they saw that her tent was leaking, so they all requested permission to give one of the sheets of tarpaulin to Hibba and her family, showing just how much love and respect her classmates have for her. 
Hibba was also given special permission to study at school on the weekends because of the cold, and also because she was always under so much pressure to do housework rather than homework whilst at home.

​At one point, Hibba’s mother threatened to pull her out of school because she felt she was studying too much rather than doing chores. 


She loves school and has big dreams for her future, but faces many restrictions from her family. When the time came to take her exams in Syria, her mother started to threaten to stop her, as she felt it was inappropriate to sleep outside the home as an unmarried woman. ​
Picture
Her mother was also getting increasing pressure from other relatives, who were not supportive of her education, but the teachers at the school strongly advocated for Hibba. Everyone could see her potential, even the parents of other students, who joined in encouraging her mother to permit her to go to Syria.

At one point Hibba didn’t show up for school, as she felt it wasn’t worth it if she wasn’t going to be able to take her exam. Teachers and students encouraged her to keep attending, and to keep her hopes up that she would be able to go. Staff met with her mother regularly, helping to reassure her and ease her fears.


On the day of the journey to Syria, two teachers visited Hibba’s mother to cook and spend time with her, and encouraged her not to worry. Hibba was finally permitted to leave and she made it to Syria for her exam. Two of the teachers who live near Hibba’s mother looked after her during the time the students were away, even inviting her to stay with them on multiple occasions. 

Hibba passed her exam, making everyone so proud. She even passed the English section, which was thought to be impossible considering she had virtually no English exposure at the beginning of the year.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR WORK IN LEBANON >>

​Our work in Lebanon is kindly supported by Players of People's Postcode Lottery and INTO Giving. 
Logo with text: Supported by the players of People's postcode Lottery / Awarded funds from Postcode Education Trust
Picture

Support us

  • Give monthly Give monthly
  • Fundraise for us Fundraise for us
  • Receive our emails Receive our emails

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    RECEIVE OUR EMAILS

    Blog Categories

    All
    Ambassadors
    Bangladesh
    Burma/Myanmar
    Chichester
    Child Participation
    Child Protection Team
    Child Rights
    Child Sacrifice
    Coronavirus
    Dalit
    Digital Education
    Early Childhood Development
    Education Loans
    Fundraising
    General
    #GetToKnowUs
    History
    Hope
    Humanitarian Relief
    India
    Kachin
    Kyaka II Uganda
    Lebanon
    Postcode Lottery
    Protective Environments
    Refugees
    Rohingya
    Schools
    Storytellers
    The Body Shop At Home
    #ThrowbackThursday
    Uganda
    UK
    Ukraine
    Volunteer
    Women's Rights

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011



    RSS Feed

JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Click to donate

Get Involved

Corporate Partnerships
​
​Email updates
Fundraise 
Give Monthly
Grant Giving Organisations
​The Body Shop At Home
Volunteer

aBOUT US

Who We Are
​​​How  We Spend Your Money
Latest Stories
​Our Story
​​Our Work
Accessibility  | Annual Report  | Contact Us | Jobs | Media Centre | ​Privacy Policy | Resources | ​Safeguarding | Shop | ​Strategic Partners 
For raffle ticket holders | Take Part | Rules and Prizes | Complaints | Responsible Gambling ​
Logo which says 'Registered with Fundraising Regulator'

Registered charity no. 1101441
REGISTERED COMPANY No. 4996130 

​Children on the Edge, 5 The Victoria, 25 St Pancras, Chichester,  West Sussex, PO19 7LT, UK | 01243 538530 | communications@childrenontheedge.org 
  • DONATE
    • The Big Give 2022
  • COUNTRIES
    • Country Overview
    • BANGLADESH >
      • Kutupalong
      • Cox's Bazar & Doharazi
    • INDIA
    • LEBANON
    • MYANMAR
    • UGANDA >
      • Jinja
      • Kyaka II
    • UKRAINE
  • ABOUT US
    • WHO WE ARE
    • Contact Us
    • 2022 Highlights
    • Annual Report
    • Awards
    • Meet the team
    • Our Story
    • Our Values
    • Our Partners
  • OUR WORK
    • OUR WORK Overview
    • Working on 'the Edge'
    • Safe Spaces
    • Child Rights
    • Refugee Education
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Cluster Learning In Uganda
    • Supporting Slum Communities
    • Tackling Caste Discrimination
    • Ending Child Sacrifice
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Get Our Email Updates
    • Autumn Raffle
    • Fundraise For Us
    • Challenge Events >
      • Virtual Challenge
      • Run The London Marathon
    • Schools
    • Trusts & Foundations
    • Corporate Partnerships
    • The Body Shop at Home
    • Volunteer
    • Shop
  • LATEST STORIES