Daily Life For The Children Of Syria: Adnan’s Story
UNICEF News
Eighteen months ago, Adnan fled with his family – including three brothers and one sister, who has mental and physical disabilities – from their home in the Syrian city of Homs. There, Adnan reports, their father had been captured and tortured by armed forces, leaving him unable to work. The family now live in the Baqa’a refugee camp, near Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Adnan is a keen mathematician and hopes to become an engineer. However, the ongoing conflict has taken a heavy toll on his education.
Two months prior to the family’s departure, snipers shot Adnan while he was playing outside his home; he sustained wounds in his arm and had to be rushed to hospital.
While living in the Syrian Arab Republic and in Jordan, Adnan’s plight left him unable to attend school for two years, but he recently registered and now attends class each morning in Baqa’a. “I want to study. I want to learn. I have missed out on two years of school, and I want to finish my education,” he said.
Although he is at school in the mornings, Adnan works in the afternoons to earn money. Soon after arriving in Baqa’a, Adnan began making repairs to the motors of household appliances and he now works for another Syrian refugee living nearby.
Part of this regret owes to Adnan’s realisation that his education is key to a better future: “Studying will give me a good education and will benefit me when I grow old.”As the conflict continues into a fourth year, UNICEF is deeply concerned about the long-term impact on children. Nearly 3 million Syrian children have now been forced to abandon their education. The longer the crisis continues, the more we learn of the terrible damage being inflicted upon children’s lives and futures.
Because he often does not arrive home until around midnight, he has little time to study and is only able to play with friends once each week. In the little spare time that he has, he enjoys drawing. “I wish I had more time to study and play,” he explained – later adding, “When I study, I feel relieved, but when I can’t study and have to work, I get worried.”
Part of this regret owes to Adnan’s realisation that his education is key to a better future: “Studying will give me a good education and will benefit me when I grow old.”
As the conflict continues into a fourth year, UNICEF is deeply concerned about the long-term impact on children. Nearly 3 million Syrian children have now been forced to abandon their education. The longer the crisis continues, the more we learn of the terrible damage being inflicted upon children’s lives and futures.
Original link: http://blogs.unicef.org.uk/2014/02/11/daily-life-children-of-syria-adnans-story/
