(Zaman Al Wasl)- “I do not want to work, I want to study,” the words of Mohammed a Syrian child speaking on one of the Turkish television channels ignited the spark for an initiative to help Syrian children to go back to school. The initiative comes as many Syrian families face difficult economic circumstances and are forced to send their children to work depriving them of their right to an education.
Several Turkish young men and women began searching for Mohammad, and when they found him at his place of work, they registered him in school. Since there are tens of thousands of children in Mohammad’s situation, the idea of establishing an association to get Syrian children out of workplaces and into school began.
The youths founded the “Children of the Earth Association” which began with the “Reading is a child’s work” project to transfer Syrian children from the labor market to schools. The idea of the project was not limited to this but provides full support to the children by offering them education support, psychological and financial.
The Association offer educational support through reinforcement classes to cover the classes the children were out of school. The Association recruited expert psychologists and educators to offer the children psychological assistance to help them overcome what they experienced during the war in Syria or the hardships they experienced while working in Turkey. In terms of material support, the Association provides the children’s families with material and in-kind assistance, so they will not be dependent on their children for income and will allow their children to complete their education.
In addition to this support, the project incorporates the idea of “Big Brother” so that every child is designated a young volunteer to monitor their situation at home and school and oversee their educational and social life. So far, the Association has sponsored 130 students in six districts in Istanbul.
During the summer, the Association set up a summer school which focused on mathematics, Arabic, Turkish, civics and ethics but also included classes on sports, chess, drawing, and excursions.
The project's overseers emphasize that the goal of the Association is to contribute to the protection of a generation that is threatened with being lost because it is denied education.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.