Sima’s School in Syria

This is Sima, a nine-year-old girl who attends a school supported by People in Need and the European Union in Idleb, Syria. The European Union has been supporting this school and nine others in Aleppo and Idleb for the last 3 years.

This short video was filmed on a camera phone by Sima’s mother who is a psycho-social support teacher at her daughter’s school. People in Need put out a call for student volunteers to film their school day and within a few hours Sima was already recording herself singing songs in the playground!

As you will see in this video, Sima is one of the lucky ones in Syria today. She is receiving an education that 2 million Syrian children are not. Many schools look nothing like hers: many without whiteboards, playgrounds and even desks.

In a country plagued by active conflict, displacement and poverty, education has been pushed down the priority list and school enrollment and literacy rates have fallen across the board. As the war rages into its seventh year, the state of education has deteriorated significantly. With one in every four schools damaged, destroyed or being used as shelters by people displaced from their homes, it is estimated that millions of Syrian children are in need of education assistance and the children are not the only ones who suffer.

Since 2011, when the conflict began, schools in Syria have lost over 20% of teaching staff, with many forced to flee the conflict and seek refuge in neighbouring countries.

Nevertheless, brave men and women continue to find ways to educate children despite the dangers and the challenges.

People in Need and the European Union strive together to continue to support teachers and students in Syria. Our support includes providing financial incentives to teachers and admin staff, teacher training courses, teaching and learning materials, classroom furniture, school operational costs, school rehabilitation services and psycho-social support activities.

Read more from People in Need about education in Syria here.