Teaching Syria’s misplaced generation

« The bombings accept as true with been getting nearer and nearer, » says Dr Nasser Alzhouri.

Because the war in Syria raged, the Alzhouri family dwelling burned down. Alzhouri and his son, Suliman, order off for Lebanon. The most main thing Alzhouri took with him modified into his stage certificate.

Unbeknown to his father, Suliman had snuck aid into their dwelling to rescue his university ID card. The values that his father had instilled in him, that education is every thing, had compelled him to return.

Since then, Suliman has labored as a trainer in Lebanon’s Tal Abbas refugee camp, housing many refugees fleeing Syria’s war.

There are larger than a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, about Eighty p.c of whom are girls and young people.

« I’m so at ease with him, » Alzhouri tells of Suliman. « Especially in this complicated length our young people reside in. He brings aid smiles to their faces. »

Unbeknown to his father, Suliman snuck aid into their burning dwelling to rescue his university ID card. [Francesca Mannocchi/Al Jazeera]

More than 465,000 people accept as true with been killed in the Syrian war and over a million accept as true with been wounded. Some 12 million people – over half of the country’s population – accept as true with been displaced.

« I be conscious I modified into in the Zero.33 grade, » a pupil says, recalling her existence forward of the war. « The overall young people accept as true with been overjoyed. I be conscious the handsome time when dad modified into aloof with us. »

But she has managed to derive hope.

« The college is my 2d dwelling, » she says, smiling. « It presents me larger than I give to it. I’d be so overjoyed to return dwelling (to Syria). I may perhaps well tear dwelling as of late. Why look forward to the following day? »

Despite their young age and all they’ve been thru, many of Suliman’s college students pick to return one day and rebuild their country.

« I’d love to be a trainer, » says one child.

‘I’d love to be a physician, to heal the in wretched health, » adds one more.

« In discovering. Stunning explore, » a classmate says.

Alzhouri knows too successfully how the war has affected a complete generation of young people. « They are able to’t win an education. Right here’s a tragedy. There’s one more generation that hasn’t even begun to explore. They’ve by no procedure been in college. We’re in this nervousness for 5 years; complete generations are misplaced. »

He has taught his son to aid others.

« We’re the young people of Syria, » says Suliman. « Syria needs me and desires them. My work is for the like of fatherland. » 

Filmed by Francesca Mannocchi and Alessio Romenzi

Editor: Andrew Phillips

Executive Producer: Yasir Khan