Education or bread

Samir

On the third day of a life-skills training class, Samer, a 14-year-old Syrian boy, missed the bus that would take him to the World Vision educational centre. Heavy rains and a long distance were daunting.

Nevertheless, he was determined to get there on time for the training. He borrowed 1,000 LBP (61 cent) from his grandmother. This got him halfway to the center in a taxi. With soaked feet, he quickly walked the rest of the way and made it to the training on time.

Samer lives with his older brother, mother, and another Syrian refugee family of six people in a four-meter by four-meter tent. His father died when he was very young. Two years ago, his family fled the war in Syria seeking refuge in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Today over 400,000 registered refugees live in the Bekka Valley. ( Source UNHCR.org)

 “All I want is for my mother to be happy,” says Samer, who acts mature around her, but cries in private because he is not able to provide for her properly. “She is always sick and I will not accept that she begs on the streets,” he says. “She is sick because she worries too much.”

Even though Samer’s mother did not ask or pressure him to find paid work to help support his family, he sells vegetables that are leftover in the field, after they are harvested. He does so with permission of the landlord. “I don’t steal,” clarifies Samer, immediately. “I carry the leftover vegetables and display them on the street to sell them. Whatever I make is better than nothing,” he says.

In the Bekaa Valley and this tented settlement in particular, World Vision is implementing projects in a range of areas to provide help and support to meet the needs of refugee children such as food, water and sanitation, protection, and education. The project that Samer took part in aims to empower children and youth by helping them develop positive attitudes and social skills as well as a good understanding of themselves and others.

“I know it’s not a school, but I learned so much,” he says, speaking of the life-skills training. “I love learning. I wish I [could] live in a school,” he adds.

Samer is one of 86 children who participated in the training.

Ali

A 40-minute drive from Samer’s shelter lives another 14-year-old Syrian boy named Ali*. He and his family (his mother and two brothers) also fled the war in Syria, and the circumstances have also forced him to choose bread over books.

“It is simple: if I don’t work, I cannot survive,” says Ali, speaking with the matter-of-fact nature of an experienced head of household. His employer, Marwan, couldn’t agree more.

“If he goes to school instead, who will provide for his old mother?” he asks, rhetorically. “You can help them once, maybe twice, eventually they need to work,” he adds.

“He treats me like his son,” says Ali, whose thought was interrupted by clients who entered the shop. Ali rushed to serve them, humbly and quickly, either out of fear of losing his job or out of gratitude for having one.

The reality is that Ali multitasks at three adjacent small shops, all owned by Marwan: a library, an exchange office, and a charcoal shop. He runs around from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day, attending to all sorts of requests. In return, he earns 160,000 LBP [US$107.50] a month, about one quarter of the minimum wage and not nearly enough for a family to survive on in Lebanon.

Impressively, Ali finds time to read from the books in the library, returning them once he finishes reading.

“I read so that I don’t forget what I learned the last nine years of my life in Syria,” he says. “I refuse to forget what I have learned over the years.”

When asked about his future dreams, Ali smiled. “I may die tomorrow, or the day after,” he says. “I can’t dream of the future.” His answer shows how the everyday realities and pressures have shaped and formed his day-to-day outlook on life.

How You Can Help

• Sponsor a child: Sponsorship makes a long-term investment in the life of a child, his/her family and community, providing greater access to life-giving basics like nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and education -- the foundation for a future of independence and hope.
• Share our VISION: Be a part of our ongoing campaigns to raise awareness for children caught up in conflict and/or poverty by sharing this message with the world. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest to spread the word. Raise your voice and let others know how important it is to invest in the lives of children.

Please note: Names changed to protect identities.

(Source: https://blog.worldvision.org/content/education-or-bread)