Grade 9 Students in Lebanon Helping Their Communities by Upcycling Clothes and Fixing Tents

Students in Lebanon have been working hard over the past few months to find creative ways to support their local communities; using their new carpentry and sewing skills to repair and upcycle tents and clothing for refugee families in need. We have been blown away by their efforts....

The grade 9 programme at the school we support in Zahle, Lebanon, supports Syrian refugee children to prepare for the future, by helping them return to Syria to take their high school diploma.

Each year a group of students makes the risky trip back into Syria to sit the exams. By getting their high school diplomas, they would be able to continue their education if and when a return to their home country is possible. 

Despite working hard to prepare for their exams, the current batch of Grade 9 students have also found time recently to support their local communities. Working in teams, they came up with ideas and made plans to make them reality.​

FIXING TENTS IN REFUGEE CAMPS

Most of the students at the school live in refugee camps in the nearby Bekaa Valley. Many refugee families survive in makeshift tented homes, often made of wood and tarpaulin. Recent cold weather has made life very difficult for many who have struggled to buy fuel to heat their homes. (A recent appeal from Children on the Edge is helping to support these families with fuel vouchers. Find out more and donate here.) 

In order to help, one of the Grade 9 teams wanted to repair and fix tents that were not prepared well enough for the winter. The team used the carpentry skills from the classes at school to fix tents, finding materials themselves. They did such a good job and made such a good impression, that they even received a donation of funds to buy more materials for their work. 

Shopping for new tarpaulins

Mahmoud and Ahmed working together to fix the side of a tent

Distributing tarpaulins to refugee families

Weatherproofing a tent

DISTRIBUTING AND FIXING DONATED CLOTHES

Another team decided to collect clothes and repair them with the support of their sewing teacher. These were then redistributed to those who needed them. The team has received further donations of clothes so they can continue to distribute to struggling local families. 

The third group is working on creating a collection of natural remedies to distribute to people who cannot afford medicine. ​​

Grade 9 students distributing clothes in the community

Organising clothes donations ready to fix

“It’s been amazing to see how the children are making a difference in their communities!”

BETHANY LANIER, PROJECT OFFICER, LEBANON

The students have done a wonderful job finding ways to help support their local communities. We'll keep you updated on their progress.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR WORK IN LEBANON

Children on the Edge has been supporting education for 300 Syrian refugee children since 2015. Initially based in four tent schools, we now have one central building in Zahle. This work is kindly funded by the Players of People's Postcode Lottery.​