Making Kawthar’s dream a reality

It was not until 2019 that thirteen-year old Kawthar had seen the inside of a classroom. “I always wanted to be like all other children; to grab my bag and head to school; to read, write and learn,” she says.

For years, the family, originally from Ghwairan neighbourhood, Al-Hasakeh city, had to flee the violence nearing their home and seek safety in different locations within the governorate. The five displacements Kawthar had to live through with her family were not the only reason why she had never been to school. As a child, who suffers from stunting, a physical impairment affecting one’s growth, she was unable to walk for long distances or extended periods of time. Her family was financially unable to pay for her transportation to school, and the nearest school was some 20 kilometers away from Kawthar’s home, forcing her to remain without an education for six years.

“I was teased by other children for the way I looked, so I would stay at home and help my mother with housework” says Kawthar, who rarely left the house when she was out of school. Not feeling accepted by some of her peers, had an impact on Kawthar’s confidence. Although being home with her family was almost the only place she would feel safe, her unfulfilled wish to learn made Kawthar, at times, feel as if she was imprisoned between the walls of the family’s house. She questioned whether after years of conflict, displacement and hardship she would ever have a better future or can learn to become a fashion designer as she would dream.

“I could not stop smiling,” Kawthar says, about the time she and her parents heard from relatives about UNICEF’s back to learning campaign three years ago. “I knew then that my dream could become a reality.” Soon after, Kawthar enrolled in Grade 1 of UNICEF’s self-learning programme, especially designed to help out-of-school children or those who missed out on their education catch up to their peers, eventually supporting them to reintegrate into regular school. Her joy became greater when informed by UNICEF-supported volunteers that transportation would be available from her neighbourhood to school and vice versa.

“I like attending classes. The teachers are very helpful. Whenever there’s something that I don’t understand, I ask them to explain or repeat,” says Kawthar. Her determination to learn and the support of her mother has helped Kawthar rebuild her self-confidence. “It’s not easy for me to find friends, but the ones I have, now, are very kind. Also, if I’m ever teased at school, I let me teachers know, so they can help me handle the situation.”

“My first day at school was fantastic,” she adds. For the past three years, Kawthar has studied hard and has been doing well at school. This year she completes Grade 3 of the self-learning programme. Despite last year’s COVID-19 challenges, including disruptions to school attendance, Kawthar remains as excited about continuing her education as when she first started attending the self-learning centre. “I wish for all children to be able to go to school. And I, certainly, hope that no body gets displaced anymore and that we all remain safe.”

With thanks to a generous contribution from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), since November 2020, UNICEF has reached some 2,600 out-of-school children in Al-Hasakeh governorate, including those with disabilities, through the self-learning programme, in four UNICEF-rehabilitated centres, equipped with essential learning material, including white boards, stationary, and recreational kits. As part of COVD-19 prevention measures, UNICEF provided the centres with cleaning and sanitization material, ensuring a safe and hygienic learning environment for children. Children benefitting from the prgoramme were also provided with stationary to ease some of the financial burdens on their families. More than 2,100 children were supported with transportation between their homes and UNICEF’s self-learning centres, improving their access to education. Prior to the launch of the self-learning centres in Al-Hasakeh, UNICEF-supported community outreach volunteers went door-to-door, raising the awareness of children and caregivers about children’s right to education and spreading the word about the self-learning proramme.