Getting disabled children back to school
Syria | 2024 | CBPF
Syria, Sahl Al-Ghab. Salim was injured when a shell hit him while he was playing outside. The resulting injuries meant his hands and one foot were amputated.
His mother moved the children away from their village in Northwest Syria, in search of safety. They settled in a displacement camp in the Hazra area.
With no mobility equipment available, Salim’s mother had to carry him to school each day. But the bullying he faced was upsetting and led him to drop out.
Local NGO Takaful Al Sham Charity Organization (TAS), working with UNICEF, with funding from the Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund, provides access to education for out-of-school children through non-formal learning opportunities.
The programme in Hazra also conducted awareness and learning sessions with students and teachers, to prevent and react to bullying.
Salim himself was able to access psychological support and tutoring to help him prepare to go back to school. He was also fitted for a wheelchair.
Salim is now back at school and hopes to become a maths teacher.
More information on the Syria Cross-Border Humanitarian Fund.