Nouran Ahmed – Deir Ezzor
“I’ve never been to school before but It is beautiful, my mom told me that, and she also told me there was a lot of fun there.”
Hasan, a displaced child[1] from the Syrian government-controlled town of Al-Khraita, who has been living in the al-Hawaij informal camp in the village of Hawaj Dhiab since 2015, talks about his dream of going to school one day as he stands in front of his worn out tent in the camp, with his younger sister standing next to him smiling in support of his words.
For more than 10 years, the people of Deir Ezzor have suffered the ravages of war, which has been reflected in all aspects of their lives of all ages, and hardly anyone is spared from its consequences, but the biggest loser is children.
Exclusive photo for Al Hawaej informal camp in Hawaej Dhiab village, Deir Ezzor countryside
Photo date: 10 February 2022
Displacement Camps in Deir Ezzor
The camps are located in a number of areas of Deir Ezzor, including those established by the Autonomous Administration and remained under their supervision, such as Abu Khashab camp, where civil society organizations provide medical assistance, education and psychological support to different age groups. On the other hand, there are informal camps, which are the majority in the area. When we say informal camps, we mean gatherings of displacement families from different areas, where no official or direct supervision or support are provided such as the camps of “Al Maqbara”, which is located between “Jazrat Al Bouhmaid” and “Jazrat Al Milaj” villages, Al-Hawaj and Mohimeda camp in the village of Mohimeda in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, al-Atal camp on the outskirts of Al Shuhail town, Al Shuhail camp, Al-Sabha’a camp in the towns of Al-Shahil and Al-Subha, east of Deir Ezzor.
Exclusive photo for Al Hawaej informal camp in Hawaej Dhiab village, Deir Ezzor countryside
Photo date: 15 March 2022
Partial Response to Students Needs in Informal Camps
The support provided by civil society organizations for the education sector[2] is having great attention from parents, due to the long drop-out of education for students during the war years, the challenges it faces in the Autonomous Administration control areas of Deir Ezzor, as well as the support of livelihood sectors and services provided to informal and formal camps.
“People In Need Provides education services for children within the camp, as well as an Autonomous Administration school near the tent gathering where some have sent their children. The children receive everything they need, but what is provided responds to some, not all, needs,” said[3] Hasna, a mother of eighth, a 43-year-old resident of Al-Hawaij camp from government control areas who has eight children.
The children of Mohimeda camp, several kilometres from Al-Hawaij camp, also had a share of educational services provided by some organizations. “I am sending three of my children to learn in an educational centre for a local civil society organization, and I don’t want this war to rob them of their right to education,” said Abu Assaad, a father of five children, 44-year-old, who has been living in Mohimeda camp since 2015 and from the town of Al-Shula, which is under the control of Syrian government forces.
“I learned to read and calculate at the education center. The center is good, and they gave me all the books, notebooks and pens I needed. My younger brothers gave them the same, as well as entertainment, competitions and activities that we all feel joy when we participate,” said 13-year-old Abdullah, who talked about his experience at the camp’s educational center.
Services Provided by Civil Society Organizations for Education in Informal Camps
“People In Need has established an educational and psychological support centre in the camp, targeting age groups from 6 to 17, for both male and female students who have not been able to attend schools. We work on a literacy program by teaching two basic classes (reading and calculating) and reintegrating them into schools so that they can later continue their education and keep up with the appropriate stages of education for their ages. We also provide activities about reading, math, emotional and social learning”, said an official of the People In Need organization about services provided for children in the Hawaij Dhiab camp.
“For two years now, we have been targeting the camp with two-type education; the first one is formal education targeting all those between the ages of 6 and 8. The second one is a programme of accelerated education for ages ranging from 9 to 14 years. We provide stationery, school bags and curricula. We conduct pre and post tests to measure the extent of learning for each child. On the other hand, accelerated education is a series of levels ending at 5th level qualifying the student for the Elementary certificate. We adopt the UNICEF curriculum while considering the personal protection of hand sanitizers and masks in the qualified educational center in terms of seats for children, boards, and modern educational means”, said a representative of DAN organization about the activities and services they provide to the children of the Mohimeda informal camp.
Exclusive photo for Al Hawaej informal camp in Hawaej Dhiab village, Deir Ezzor countryside
Photo date: 15 March 2022
Non-continuous Support for Informal Camps
Many of the difficulties and challenges experienced by their residents, especially children, are hidden behind the random tents scattered in the camp.
Hana, a 27-year-old mother of three who resides in the Muhaimida camp in Al Shola town, talks about the condition of her 7-year-old daughter: “My eldest daughter, who was very scared and felt shy all the time, and hated to play with her peers. However, after some psychological support provided by NGO workers who visit the camp constantly, this barrier began to gradually disappear.”
The needs of the informal camps in Deir Ezzor extend not only to educational services, but also to living conditions and lack of health care. “We didn’t get enough support, the Concern Worldwide was providing us with some support, but four months ago it was limited to providing water only,” said Mohammed J., a 36-year-old displaced person from Al Tibni town, father of four, who has been living in Al-Hawaj camp since 2015, speaking about the conditions of the camp.
Many UN reports[4] consistently indicates the poor living conditions of the camp population, these scattered tents in which an entire generation grows up in a fragile environment, struggling with cold, heat, hunger and ignorance, a generation that is counted on to rebuild this country.
[1] All interviews with the children took place after the author explained the purpose of the interview in detail, obtaining the consent of the parents of the children, with their presence.
[2] Teachers’ Strike in Deir Ezzor.. Reasons and Recommendations, JFL, May 2022.
https://jfl.ngo/en/teachers-strike-in-deir-ezzor-reasons-and-recommendations/
[3] All interviews were conducted in the first half of March 2022.. All interviews were conducted in person, except for the interview with “People In Need” conducted through WhatsApp.
[4] Syria: Dire conditions for civilians, especially displaced persons in the north of the country, east and west. UN, 2022.
