Rama, a 13-year-old Palestine refugee from Syria, is the fourth generation of her family to be displaced by regional conflicts. “My family comes from Haifa. [Following the first Arab-Israeli war], we were forced to flee to Syria. Since the war in Syria, we have fled to Lebanon,” says Rama, sitting in her single-room shelter where she lives with her family in Ein El Hilweh camp near Saida.
Born a refugee, Rama looks to education to mitigate the uncertainty in her life. She explains, “I believe education is the most important thing that may affect my future. Without it, I will never reach anywhere.”
Through My Voice-My School, part of the UNRWA Education in Emergencies programme, students from Syria and elsewhere are given the unique opportunity to meet their international peers. Using virtual exchanges to meet and to explore and debate their ideas, the students embark on a 12-week classroom project in pairs, bridging their worlds by exploring their shared passion for education.
The three video-link exchanges that occur throughout the project are lively and provide insight into how the students’ living environments affect their education. Aya, a girl in Rama’s class, reflects on the recent outbreak of violence in Ein El Hilweh camp. “War is affecting our learning,” she explains. “We face many problems. When we can’t go to school every day, it makes learning hard.”
Conflicts can interrupt children’s studies. In response to the Syria crisis, UNRWA developed fast-track self-learning materials in line with the Syrian national curriculum to support children until they can return to the classroom. Although the deadly clashes that broke out in the camp briefly interrupted Aya’s studies, for her, going back to school was a priority. “We are not quitters!”, she tells her peers in Sweden. This inspires Mawah, a participating student from Helsingborg International School in Sweden. “Honestly, it’s amazing," says Mawah. “It is super brave that you guys think about education in that way and that you want to overcome everything you face just to get an education.”
Online exchanges present a viable way of connecting young people. Without virtual exchange, there would be continued separation exacerbated by complex political landscapes. Developed in partnership with the social enterprise Digital Explorer, My Voice-My School provides young people with the opportunity to break through their isolation. It fosters their ability to communicate with children and youth from different cultures and to make use of available IT tools to connect and have their voices heard by their peers, teachers and school community.
Having discovered her voice through the project, Rama says, “Everybody should be educated to have a successful future and build a future for their family to fulfil her or his dreams. I can’t live without school. I learn to ensure my future.”