From Syria to Jordan

Photo caption: Maria at her graduation day wearing a beautiful necklace and earring given to her by her brother. Photo credit: Caritas. Date: July 2017.

Maria*, nine, is from a big family of four boys and three girls, with the youngest just six years old, and the oldest 21 years old. They are from Damascus. When they were in Syria they had three big houses, two burnt down and one became a camp for ISIS. When the family decided to leave for Jordan, they suffered a lot on the way. They stayed in the desert for six days, surviving with no basic supplies.

Maria is now a studying at a Caritas school in Jordan which is partly funding through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership. She loves school and her favourite subject is English. She wants to be a doctor.

Maria's oldest brother was excellent at school in Syria, but since arriving in Jordan he had to leave school and work to pay the rent. Her brother bought her a beautiful necklace and earrings for her school graduation. At the graduation, Caritas asked Maria's mother about her dreams, she said she doesn't want anything except for her children to stay in school and get a good education.

Caritas Australia, in partnership with Caritas Jordan and Catholic Relief Services (CRS/Caritas USA), is providing vital academic and psychosocial support through the Caritas Education Program in Jordan. The program assists preschool children to prepare for school, supports students to reengage with education, provides tutoring for students requiring additional support, counselling and nutritious meals and snacks at school. This AHP funded project is part of a much larger Caritas program that operates 25 schools across Jordan reaching 8,000 refugee students.
* Names have been changed. 
Date of this article: October 2017

In 2018, Caritas Australia received $2 million through the AHP to fund education activities in Jordan. The length of this AHP response is July 2017 - July 2019.