Tharaa is a 10-year-old refugee from Syria. She fled the conflict two years ago with her parents, grandfather, and seven siblings, and settled in Wadi Khaled in north Lebanon. But, like many Syrian refugees, the family had fallen on hard times and all of them were living in one room in an unfinished building. The other two rooms were occupied by four other Syrian families.
When Tharaa first came to Lebanon, she had been traumatised by the conflict and the harsh conditions of the journey. Going to school has been an important part of establishing a normal life. Tharaa joined the Norwegian Refugee Council’s non-formal education project in Wadi Khaled, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Here she was able to participate in educational and recreational activities which contributed to her emotional wellbeing.
Tharaa became involved in teamwork activities and helping her friends with their studies, and has also begun learning French, which is a common language is schools in Lebanon. By the end of her first school year, Tharaa was distinguished among her Lebanese and Syrian classmates and ranked at the top of her class.
She is now in the third grade and attends second-shift classes at a public school in Dekwaneh, north of Beirut, after her family moved closer to the capital. Four of her siblings also go to school.
“My ambition is to become a doctor and help all the Syrian injured children,” Tharaa told NRC.
