Human Interest Stories

Human Interest Stories

 

Iraqi Children Go Back To School

By Hind-Lara Mango
Sitting on the floor of a two bedroom hut surrounded by freshly painted pristine white walls in one of Jordan’s well-to-do suburbs, one would not realize that the seven member   Ikzaz family living here is sustained by the sheer goodwill of their neighbour, Um Jum’a. If it were not for this woman, the family would have no food, clothes, or shelter.

Iraqi born Armash Ikzaz (known as Abu Salem) and his family actually live in what was once a chicken coup. “ I took the chickens out and gave them this place,” explains the robust Um Jum’a with a wide smile. This family lived across the street in a tent for two years.

“I can’t work, or I will be deported; I can’t afford to buy my children’s school books, we are lucky that they are in school,” says the young father of five. The only thing in his pocket is a paper from the United Nations   High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR)   saying he is an asylum seeker claiming refugee status.

Abu Salem and his family have been living in the Kingdom since 2004, when they fled from their home country Iraq as a result of the political upheaval and ongoing violence there.

As we sit on the floor, four young girls huddle around their young mother (34) while their brother, Salem (7), sits in a corner on his own rubbing his swollen eyes – their yellowish pink tint indicate an allergy. His parents can’t afford to take him to the doctor to buy him medication.

“Yes, we are happy to be in school,” says Ikhlas (13) who lost several years of her education staying at home. However, the shy girl with long black hair adds, “I feel embarrassed in front of the other students because I can’t buy all the books.”
It costs about $70 to enroll each non-Jordanian child in a government school and an additional $15 for books. The only way Abu Salem’s children got some of their books and paid some of the registration fees was through the goodwill of their neighbour, who collects money from families to help her Iraqi tenants.

The United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Jordan has been instrumental in bringing about the government decision to allow Iraqis to enroll in schools in the Kingdom. There are about 750,000 displaced Iraqis in the Country. Just under 20,000 of the children attended school last year. UNICEF aims, with it partners, to get an additional 50,000 children into school this year.

“They took the books away from me and told me when I could pay I would have them back,” states Rana (12). The eldest sister ,Shafa’, says she has three books, but a lot remain to be purchased. She does not seem motivated and is doing poorly at school.

UNICEF is now finalizing with the Jordanian Ministry of Education means of supplying Iraqi children with textbooks this year, and paying the school fees of children who cannot afford to do so. The previously overcrowded classrooms cannot accommodate the new influx of more students, however welcome they may be. Thus UNICEF is additionally focusing on providing the Ministry with technical support for the implementation of double shift schools and the rent of buildings. Teachers will also be trained to provide Iraqi children with psychosocial support.

The young Ikzaz children wake up in the early hours of the morning and walk for 45 minutes to reach school. “People think that because we live in this area that we are rich and should be able to afford public transport,” discloses Shifa’ in an expressionless voice.
 “We dread the coming months when the kids will have to walk to school in the merciless rain and bone wrenching cold,” says Um Salem.

For now, the Ikzaz family is waiting patiently, hoping that their plight will improve.
Meanwhile, Salem falls into an exhausted sleep having given up the battle with his irritated eyes.