This is Miss Israa

This is Miss Israa. She’s the English teacher at the Mouvement Social centre. I took a photo of the lesson that she is taking. I showed Miss Israa the picture, and she said ‘well done, you caught a spontaneous moment’.

When I first came to the centre, I didn’t even know how to write my name in English. I learnt a lot of things — the days of the week, the months of the year, conversation. And now I am learning more.

In Syria we weren’t so strong in English, but we were very good in Arabic. If you’re not strong in Arabic you’ll fail there. I love English but I hate maths.

I registered with the centre as soon as I got here to Lebanon, to keep learning.

Hayleen attends a centre run by Christian Aid partner Mouvement Social, which provides a safe space for Syrian refugee and Lebanese children — many of whom are unable to access formal education. They give children like Hayleen access to recreational, educational and psychological support. To donate to our Syria Crisis Appeal and to support vital work like this, please visit our website.