Sami’s Dream That Will Come True

Sami[i] is a 14-year-old student in rural Idleb. He used to live a beautiful life in the city of Aleppo, however, his family was forced to leave their house and return to rural Idleb, their original home.  In 2019, a few years after they moved to rural Idleb, his father died suddenly of a stroke, followed by his mother in early 2023, and Sami was forced to live in the house of his cousin up to now.

At the beginning of the school semester right after his mother’s passing, Sami was worried about not being able to continue learning in his school, where he had been studying for 4 years. “I consider my relative as my father, and I called him Father,” he said.

“I asked him to allow me to stay in school because I love learning a lot and I don't want to stop until I graduate from university. Indeed, my relative enrolled me in a school.”

With his strong will, he was able to continue learning in Grade 8 in his school.

Because of the difficult financial situation of Sami’s new family, he decided to work in a clothing store without their knowledge to relieve them of some of the burdens. He attended school in the morning and worked in the clothing store in the afternoon, and sometimes he had to skip classes because of work. His little earnings also helped him to support himself.

Sami recalled how difficult it was to adapt to the new environment and how the students and school staff helped him and supported him with everything they could. He gained many friends and returned to practice his favorite hobby, which is playing football. All of these contributed to his distinction in his school

This kind of suffering may be widespread among many children in northwest Syria, but Sami’s suffering was magnified when he was shocked by new information that the family he used to live with before was not his real family and that his parents were not his real father and mother. This was shared with him by his new family with whom he now lives, as they thought that he has the right to know and was mature enough.  

This was a turning point in his life, and his psychological condition began to deteriorate. He became withdrawn, fell into depression, and isolated himself from his friends and everyone around him. Eventually, he was frequently absent from school. Teachers and administrators noticed Sami’s absence from school and his apparent decline in his studies, so they contacted his new family and learned about his full story.

The school began to provide support to Sami through various activities, in addition to the psychological support sessions tailored to him individually. His new family was also invited to attend the parenting skills sessions in order to provide a holistic solution engaging family members.

After months, Sami became more stable and did not miss school without the knowledge of his family. His conditions at home also improved significantly, and all of this was reflected in his performance at school, as he started again actively participating in the classroom. Striving hard to achieve his dream, “I hope to complete my education and fulfill my father's dream to become an architect and be an active person in society," he said. 

The school Sami has been attending is supported by UNICEF and its partner with generous contributions from the Education Cannot Wait’s Multi-Year Resilience Programmes (MYRP). The support has enabled more than 25,000 children at 32 learning centers to pursue continuous learning opportunities in northwest Syria through non-formal education using Self-learning programs/materials. Sami’s story is one of thousands of children’s stories in northwest Syria, which require rapid intervention and an urgent response to save their future. 

[i] Name changed to protect child’s identity.