Syria Education Appeal

We cannot underestimate the comfort and sense of community that going to school provides for children who have lived through years of conflict, and the time to help them achieve that is now.

A lack of access to education means children lose not only the most basic skills and learning, but also the most basic emotional and social experiences; belonging, being part of a community, friendships, comfort, and fun. 

Education provides an escape from the challenges of these children's day-to-day lives. Without education, their prospects for the future are limited and any disruptions to education can have dire consequences down the road for our most innocent civilians.

Please donate today to give many more children what Hani, whose story we outline below, has - the hope of a bright future.

After more than a decade of war, children in Syria are suffering not only the effects of conflict but also from the denial of that most basic of human rights - an education.

A large percentage of the Syrian population have been displaced by a war that has been ongoing since March 2011.

For over 13 years, people in Syria have struggled to get from day to day without the constant threat of conflict, and millions of children have been denied the chance to learn the most basic life skills and take part in normal school life.

It's something we take for granted, but for 2.4 million Syrian children - roughly double the number of all Irish children - education is out of reach.

Let's help to make it a reality.

Hani wishes to become a doctor when he grows up.

Living with his mother Rama and his siblings in a makeshift settlement, life is tough for the family, with only a flimsy tent for shelter from the shattering cold in winter and the blistering heat during the summer months.

Water, food and other basic essentials are difficult to come by for the family - and for many others just like them - but a ray of light in all this for Hani is his place in a Concern-supported school. He attends his studies along with his brother.

"I really like school a lot, and I feel really happy when I come back home from school," he says. 

"It's like I'm learning and reading, and I want to be a doctor when I grow up.

"I love writing, reading, and drawing, and I really enjoy playing soccer at school."

Hani loves school so much that he wishes it was open during the holidays, and the opportunity to learn is what gives him and his mother hope for the future.

This hope is something that more than 2.4m Syrian children don't get to experience, however.