Education for Syrian Refugee Children

Over a decade into the Syrian Crisis, neighbouring country Lebanon hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees. A third are located in small makeshift or unofficial camps in Bekaa Valley where children struggle to access education and support.

Children on the Edge has been supporting education for around 200 refugee children in Lebanon since 2015. Initially based in four tent schools, but now in one central building in Zahle, we provide safe, fun classrooms, vocational and IT courses and a large outdoor playspace.

Watch more videos about our work in Lebanon on our YouTube Channel

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175 REFUGEE CHILDREN
RECEIVING EDUCATION

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100% PASS RATE FOR STUDENTS IN GRADE NINE SYRIAN EXAMS

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100% OF CHILDREN SAY THEY ENJOY SCHOOL

Eleven year old Hala, a Syrian refugee, is sat in her classroom against a white backdrop. She is half smiling and wearing a white shirt looking towards the camera.

HALA is 11 years old and attends the school we support in Zahle. Despite being shy and nervous when she started, she now loves schools, particularly her teachers.

She says: “I love how I am free to think and ask questions and how my teacher always answers my questions and explains things to me so I can understand”.

Her mother does not read and write so Hala is grateful that she has been able to learn these skills to help her parents, as well as succeed in life.

WORKING ON 'THE EDGE' IN LEBANON

The Lebanese government estimates that they host 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
Around 360,000 refugees are located in the Bekaa Valley, often living in small makeshift or unofficial camps.
Children living in these informal refugee settlements in Bekaa Valley struggle to access education and are also coming to terms with their own trauma and distress.
There are significant gaps in the provision of informal education offered in safe spaces for children living within the camps.
Lebanon is also in the midst of a political and economic crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic and the port explosion disaster in it’s capital city, Beirut.

Two young Syrian refugee boys smiling with their thumbs up. They are standing on a dirt street, with puddles shown in the background. Makeshift refugee tents line the road. Tents are made from wood and tarpauline. 5 other children and a mother holding a small child are behind the two boys, also smiling. You can click the image to be taken to a separate page about the situation in Lebanon.

WHAT WE DO TO HELP

We work with Lebanese NGO, Triumphant Mercy to provide education for around 200 Syrian refugee children living in informal refugee settlements of Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

The school we support in Zahle offers safe, fun classrooms with a large play space outside. Children are brought in by bus along with their teachers from the refugee camps to learn in a child friendly environment.

They are taught by Syrian refugee teachers in their own dialect, who are trained to deliver a bespoke Syrian and Lebanese curriculum. Staff use Montessori techniques to help children learn Arabic, maths, science, history, geography and English.

The school also offers additional vocational training, so children can learn to dance, sew and take carpentry or computer classes. Teachers offer trauma care, to help children recover from what they have been through. The children benefit from an environment of warmth and safety, where they can thrive. Together, children are being well prepared for the future, whether this is a return to Syria or a protracted stay in Lebanon.

Five Syrian teenage boys wearing graduation hats. They are smiling to celebrate passing their Syrian high school exams.

Grade 9 Students celebrate passing their exams in Syria

Students are supported to cross the border back into Syria to take high school exams, which would allow them to continue their education in Syria if and when a return to their home country is possible.

We have been providing quality education for Syrian refugees since 2014. Originally based in four tent schools, a new central building in Zahle opened in 2019 to bring everyone together in one space.