For Displaced Iraqi Children, the Time is Right… Right Now
Read the stories of two displaced Iraqi families five years after the allied invasion of Iraq.
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Save the Children school kits distribution in Nuzha, Jordan |
"One of the most critical needs of children affected by conflict is education," said Dennis Walto, Save the Children's country director for Jordan and Lebanon. "Prior to fleeing Iraq, many Iraqi children saw their schools close or were kept at home due to insecurity. They missed one or even several critical years of education, and that is a terrible loss. Getting them back into the classroom is only the first step to helping them regain a sense of normalcy and hope for the future."
As the situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate, Save the Children is assisting thousands of Iraqi children forced from their homes and into neighboring countries. While the full extent of the Iraqi displacement is still unknown, UNHCR estimates that there are about 4 million displaced Iraqis, with half of them outside the country. Around 400,000 Iraqis are in Jordan, more than half of them children under the age of 18.
Although the number of Iraqi children in Jordan is lower than initially estimated, the needs of those children are greater. Family coping mechanisms and resources are slowly dwindling, and most Iraqis are not able to work legally making each day a struggle for survival.
Save the Children launched its Ta'leem Emergency Education Program in Jordan January 2007. Ta'leem ("learning" in Arabic) takes a long-term view of education by ensuring that both vulnerable Iraqi children (from preschool age through adolescent youth) and the host-country population have improved access to quality education. The three main objectives of Save the Children's education strategy focus on:
- children in school staying in school;
- children not in school enrolling and progressing to the next grade level; and
- children who cannot access formal education continue their learning through quality non-formal education programs.
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An Iraqi volunteer taking names of displaced Iraqi children as they come for distribution of the school kits including backpacks, stationary, uniforms, socks, at the Save the Children distribution center in Nuzha, Jordan |
In August 2007, the government of Jordan opened the doors for all children in Jordan, regardless of residency status, to be able to go to school. Throughout the year, however, Save the Children noticed that many Iraqi children were not attending class, mainly due to financial constraints. Save the Children thus began distributing school packages — consisting of uniforms, notebooks, backpacks and other items — to needy Iraqi and Jordanian children to help ease this financial burden. More than 6,000 school kits have already been distributed to students in more than 40 schools throughout the Kingdom.
In addition, Save the Children and its partners are providing classes in English, Arabic, mathematics, computers and other subjects so that children who fell behind in their studies can catch up with their peers. More than 800 children ages 6–14 are registered in these classes. Save the Children also is working with the Ministry of Education in providing remedial classes for out-of-school Iraqi children.
Save the Children is coordinating with the Jordanian government, United Nations and other partners to address the emotional needs of Iraqi children. Save the Children is conducting workshops focused on equipping teachers with the skills and tools to encourage acceptance and integration, starting at the kindergarten level, and all the way through to the non-formal youth activities. These workshops focus on helping build self-esteem and self-control in students, promoting a return to normalcy and identifying at-risk students. Through these trainings, teachers have developed plans to train other teachers and administrators in their schools.
The Ta'leem program for Iraqi youth is designed to provide young people, ages 14–24, with "mobile skills" such as English, Arabic, physical education and information technology. These activities help young Iraqis continue their education in a non-formal setting. Save the Children sees this group as critical to the rebuilding of Iraq. Among the many goals of the Ta'leem youth program is a desire to break the isolation of young Iraqis and give them an outlet to share ideas and work together to improve their lives.
"We saw the potential disaster of a generation of Iraqi children not getting an education, and not having access to learning opportunities," said Jason Erb, deputy country director of Save the Children. "We also recognized that separating vulnerable Iraqis from needy Jordanians was impossible, and we're working to meet the needs of all children."
Save the Children has been working in Jordan since 1985.
Press Release: Displacement Increases the Vulnerability of Iraqi Children
