Longing for School…

This past week-end, while I was doing a creative arts project with young Syrian refugees in Beirut, I asked them for a theme to guide our project.

“Syrian kids who want to go back to school,” they said, without hesitation. As I listened to them talk about their classrooms back home, I couldn’t help but wonder if their schools were still standing.

“What subjects are you missing the most?” I asked.

“All of them!” they replied. For kids without an opportunity to go to school, saying that one subject is better than another is a luxury.

According to UNICEF, nearly half of Syria’s school-age children — 2.8 million and counting — are currently unable to get an education. Consequently, the war in Syria may end up producing a generation of illiterate children. As for my young Syrian friends here in Beirut, I’m hoping that their wish comes true–and they get the chance to return to a classroom someday soon…