In Syria in general and its northwest in particular; The number of children suffering from physical injuries and permanent disabilities has increased as a result of the war that has been going on for years. These children suffer from difficulties in accessing education due to the lack of supportive means and the lack of infrastructure allocated to them, in addition to the social and psychological challenges they experience daily, such as bullying and discrimination in schools, which leads many of them to drop out of school and drop out of education.
“Salim[i]” is a 10-year-old child. He and his family lived in a village in the Sahl Al-Ghab in northern Syria. As soon as the war began, misfortunes befell his family. His father died because of a bombing that hit the village, and his mother was forced to work in order to provide her children’s minimum basic needs. But the biggest disaster that changed the course of Salim’s life was when a shell hit him while he was playing in the village and caused the amputation of his hand and foot. As a result of this accident, Salim’s mother decided to leave the village in search of a safe place for her and her children. They moved between several regions and towns in northern Syria until They settled in one of the camps in the Hazra area.
When “Salim” reached the age of entering school, the difficulties facing him were exacerbated due to his physical disability, and he needed constant assistance to get to school, so his mother used to carry him on her back to take him to school daily, however, being subjected to daily bullying by his colleagues because of his condition caused him a serious psychological problem, as a result of which he left his school and isolated himself at home.
Takaful Al Sham Charity Organization, with the support of its partner UNICEF, works to support and provide education to children in northern Syria through the Manara 4 project. This project is characterized by activities dedicated to supporting special cases such as the case of “Salim”. After the school’s protection officer was informed of “Salim’s” condition, He visited his home and met his mother, who revealed to him the daily challenges that Salim faces and the reason for him leaving school.
In cooperation with the “Salim” family and the protection supervisor at Takaful Al Sham, a comprehensive plan was developed to help “Salim”, as many sessions were organized for the child and his mother at home, in addition to providing a wheelchair to help him come to school, and awareness sessions were also held for school students about the importance of helping people with special needs.
These interventions contributed to Salim’s return to school, and greatly helped him interact, play, and learn with his classmates in a positive manner.
Despite all the challenges that Salim was exposed to, today he goes to school, carrying with him his dream of becoming a teacher of mathematics, which he loves so much, overcoming the war that deprived him of his rights and expelled him from his house.
[i] The name was changed according to the protection principles.
