These extremely talented children are all refugees from Syria/ Buzz Feed

As featured in BuzzFeed

Chess players, a speed-reader, a poet, a dancer, footballers and three rapping brothers. All children who have fled the war in Syria, and who deserve an education to realise their great potential; all children that I met as part of my ‘Syria’s Got Talent’ photography project.

I wanted to explore and demonstrate the importance of education for refugees affected by the Syrian conflict, so I teamed up with TheirWorld and Syrian organisation Sonbola to go in search of highly gifted children.

I asked them why school is essential to them realising their dreams. In my photos I tried to capture something of their extraordinary gifts. I was astounded by their talent, moved by their words, and thrashed at chess.

There are over a million Syrian refugee children out of school, each with their own unique gifts and talents. More than half of them lack access to education.

Children who are not in school are at risk of getting trapped into child labour, early marriage, and exploitation.

Last week, TheirWorld launched a petition asking people to call on world leaders to pledge funds to get 1 million Syrian children into school this year, so they can not only learn, but also channel some of the trauma they have been through.

Please support the petition, and support the right to education of amazing children like the ones you can meet below..

Lana and Abdulsalmouh Hourieh, 12 and 14, chess players

Lana Hourieh, 12, and her brother Abdulsalmouh were taught chess by their uncle when they were younger, and it has since become their passion. When Lana went back to school after fleeing her home, her teachers noticed her talent for chess and entered her in a competition — she promptly won.

While school has helped Lana get her talent recognised, Abdulsalmouh said chess also helped them achieve in the classroom: “In school, for example in maths, you have to think very hard, and chess has helped us with that.”

Khawla Ghaysaniya, 15, poet

Khawla Ghaysaniya’s favorite writer is the 15th-century Arabic poet Al-Mutanabbi, whose work, she said, inspired her to start writing her own poems: “His poems are so beautiful. We used to have his collected works at home in Syria. I used to read it, and it inspired me to start writing my own poetry, and then I found I was good at it.” She said her love of poetry has motivated her to fight for her education even when things have been tough.

An extract from Khawla’s poem, above, reads:

I cannot withstand more bereavement.

My heart is now afraid of experiencing a new love,

Or making new friends.

Fear of loss overwhelms me.

Daham Nawasara, 15, speed reader and writer

Daham Nawasara entered a regional competition to read 50 books over the academic year, despite missing nearly a year of school when his family fled Syria. His passion for reading and the extraordinary things he has experienced growing up during the war have inspired him to take up writing.

“My dream is to become a writer, or an author of a very famous book,” he said. “I like writing stories, true stories about my life or fictional ones about imaginary people, about events that have affected me or set anywhere in the world.”

Hala al-Naisa, 6, Bollywood dancer

Hala al-Naisa taught herself Bollywood dancing and can even sing in Hindi, something no one else in her community can do. Her mother said she was drawn to Bollywood dancing at a very young age after seeing it on television one day. Hala knows dozens of songs and from her dancing you would think she had grown up taking lessons in Mumbai.

Haytham and Jawad Mash-Hadan, 11 and 7, footballers

When Haytham and Jawad Mash-Hadan play football, it is nothing like watching ordinary people kicking around a ball. The boys missed three years of school upon coming to Lebanon, but are now back in the classroom — and the playing field — where their skills shine.

Sons of a former footballer in Syria, both boys want to play professionally like their father when they grow up. “Whenever anyone sees them playing, they tell me that they should become professionals, they are very talented,” their father said.

The Karbouj brothers (Samir, Abdulrahman, and Mohammed, 13, 12, and 8), rappers

Samir, Abdulrahman, and Mohammed, who perform under the name “Fire Rap”, said they have two dreams: return to Syria, and become famous rap artists. They were out of school for over two years, but Samir said that being used to learning long and complicated raps helped him when he returned to the classroom because he was used to memorising things.

Read the lyrics from one of their songs (translated from Arabic):

Make the sky your limit, don’t make it a ceiling,
All the ideas in the world started with a letter,
Live in this life the way you want and be comfortable,
Don’t ever stop to regret the past,
Live the way you want and keep your thoughts free,
With a smile and strength we will shape tomorrow,
Losing doesn’t mean failure, keep going and continue,
To know sweetness, you need to try bitter,
Arabic rap is my art,
Shake your head with the best when you hear me,
Arabic rap is my art,
My thoughts will spread forth and no one can stop them.

Tabitha Ross is a Beirut-based photographer and writer, who contributes regularly to A World at School.