Investing in schools, unlocking futures
UNICEF-supported rehabilitation is improving schools across Syria, helping more children access quality education in safe and welcoming environments
Jaramana, Rural Damascus – As children return to school for the new academic year, students at Bunat Al-Hadara School in Jaramana, Rural Damascus, are returning to a safer, more inclusive and more welcoming learning environment following UNICEF-supported rehabilitation.
Today, the school serves around 830 boys and girls in primary education. For years, deteriorating infrastructure affected both learning and safety. Damaged doors and windows, leaking roofs, uneven stairs, inadequate sanitation facilities and worn-out prefabricated classrooms created daily challenges for students and teachers alike.
UNICEF-supported rehabilitation addressed many of these challenges and transformed the school environment. The intervention included repairing and replacing classroom doors and windows, waterproofing roofs, improving stairs and playground areas, rehabilitating prefabricated classrooms, and painting the school with colourful, child-friendly artwork.
UNICEF/UN0928360/Wissam Bashour
UNICEF/UN0928359/Wissam Bashour
“When students, parents and teachers enter the school now, they feel comfortable and encouraged.”
Mwana, principal
The rehabilitation also strengthened essential services and accessibility. A solar power system was installed, sanitation facilities were expanded, including an accessible toilet for children with disabilities, and ramps were added to improve access. School furniture and sunshades were also repaired, helping create a more comfortable and supportive learning environment.
A group of young people who had received UNICEF-supported vocational training contributed to the work. Youth from displaced and host communities gained hands-on skills in trades such as electricity, plumbing, welding and aluminium work before applying their newly acquired knowledge to improve the school.
For the young people, it was an opportunity to gain practical skills while contributing directly to a learning space used by hundreds of children in their communities.
These improvements come at an important time as the school welcomes increasing numbers of students, including children whose families have recently returned to the area, children returning to education after dropping out, and those transferring from other schools.
For the school principal Mwana, the difference is already visible. She describes the start of the academic year as joyful and reassuring, with students, parents and teachers all benefiting from a safer and more supportive learning environment.
"Before the rehabilitation, the school's condition made learning difficult. Leaking roofs, damaged facilities and unsafe spaces disrupted classes, especially during rainstorms when students had to be moved into already crowded classrooms,"
As classrooms fill once again, Bunat Al-Hadara School is opening its doors to a new school year with renewed hope, providing children with a better place to learn, grow and thrive.
Since January 2026, UNICEF with partners have rehabilitated 54 schools across Syria, improving learning conditions and expanding access to education for thousands of children. These critical investments in children's futures have been made possible thanks to the generous support of from EU Humanitarian Aid; the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO); the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank; the Global Partnership for Education (GPE); the Governments of Denmark, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland under the UN Joint Programme on Urban and Rural Resilience (UNJP); and Governments of Japan and Korea.
