Tucked away in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains just north of Damascus lies the city of Al Tell, home to the Al Tell School for Children, where on 29 February 2024, a closing ceremony was held for activities aimed at returning out-of-school children to formal education in Al Tell and neighboring Maarba village, as part of the Resilience in Emergency Contexts and Opportunities for the Vulnerable Enabling Recovery (RECOVER) project.
The ceremony opened with a word from one of the schools’ headmasters, followed by a play performed by the children about the sun and moon losing their light, only to discover that light can still be found in their books.
For these children, RECOVER’s activities represent their best chance of obtaining an education during their entire lives. Participation also helps them avoid being put to work due to Syria’s current severe economic conditions.
“The RECOVER program affected the personality, the character of the students,” one parent proudly asserted.
During the ceremony, an English teacher from the Mixed Maarba School also emphasized the difference one could tell in the children from when RECOVER began.
In Al Tell and Maarba, RECOVER repaired two schools, provided remedial classes for children who have fallen behind in school, provided psychosocial support and counseling for children affected by the crisis, hosted teacher training workshops, and hosted info sessions for parents on topics of concern.
The RECOVER project, funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), is implemented nationwide and is concerned with returning children to school, keeping them in school, and repairing schools, along with repairing public water networks to strengthen communities for potential crises in the future.
Although project work is finishing, its impact will last forever. The ceremony was more of a celebration—teachers, parents, and children alike were all grateful for the chance of a brighter future that ADRA facilitated.
