During the formative years, it is critical that a child is exposed to friendships, familial love, and a safe environment. However, for many Syrian children, this is not the case.
The traumas of war have the ability to affect a child’s development both mentally and socially. Concern’s work with child wellbeing seeks to promote and improve mental health by providing children a safe environment to play and feel safe, while also working with parents and caregivers to help them find parenting techniques that are sensitive to what their children have experienced.
Our education programme in northeast Syria aims to give out-of-school and conflict-affected children access to quality primary-level education, providing support in both non-formal education centres and formal schools.
In 2020, this effort reached nearly 6,000 students. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, we were still able to expand our programme by opening two new non-formal education centres (bringing the total to six), rehabilitating seven primary schools, and beginning our first homework support component in formal schools to help support pupil retention.
Our Building Tomorrow programme provided education and livelihoods support for Syrians under temporary protection in four provinces in southeast Turkey and reached over 13,500 people in 2020.
The education element of the programme has been implemented at 30 public education centres (PECs) and 20 vocational and technical high schools (TVETs). Since language barriers impede progress, the programme provides Turkish language classes to 12,000 children at PECs, between the ages of 6 and 13.
It also seeks to improve access to formal educational opportunities for school-aged Syrians under temporary protection through outreach, learning-support programmes, and the provision of learning and psychosocial support materials.
*Names have been changed for security purpose