LEBANON / REFUGEE MOTHERS EDUCATION

In the northern Lebanese village of Fnaydek, Syrian refugee mothers are learning how to read and write to better their circumstances and support their children’s education. UNHCR

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:56
• Production Date: 21 July 2017
• Asset Language: Arabic
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: EDUCATION; REFUGEES; WOMEN
• Geographic Subject: LEBANON; SYRIA
• MAMS Id: 1937148
• Parent Id: 1937148
• Alternate Title: unifeed170721e

Description

STORY: LEBANON / REFUGEE MOTHERS EDUCATION
TRT: 01:43
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / NATS

DATELINE: 8 JUNE 2017, AKKAR, LEBANON

Shotlist

08 JUNE 2017, AKKAR, LEBANON

1. Various shots, women in class writing
2. Close up, Ghalia reading
3. Med shot, instructor speaking to student
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghalia, Syrian Refugee:
“In Syria, I know all the areas. I could move around easily, but here in Lebanon you need to know how to read.”
5. Various shots, Ghalia writing on whiteboard
6. Various shots, instructor speaking to students
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fatima, Volunteer Teacher:
“Of course, when the parents are educated they will want to educate their children, one million percent not one percent. They look at themselves and say ‘we reached where we are today because we didn’t get an education.”
7. Tilt down, Woman with no hands writing
8. Various shots, women writing
9. Various shots, Ghalia and other woman leaving class
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghalia, Syrian Refugee:
“I help them spell. I tell them: ‘This is how you write this letter or that letter. This is how you write this word. What words are these? You’re hand writing needs to be nice.’ Before, I couldn’t differentiate between good and bad handwriting, even if they wrote two or three lines consecutively. But now (I know) they need to write on a line and leave a line blank.”
11. Various shots, Ghalia helping her kids with homework
12. Various shots, Ghalia looking out from balcony

Storyline

In the northern Lebanese village of Fnaydek, Syrian refugee mothers are learning how to read and write to better their circumstances and support their children’s education.

These Syrian refugees come together twice a week for this class.

Forty-four year old Ghalia never knew the importance of education until she found herself in exile.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghalia, Syrian Refugee:
“In Syria, I know all the areas. I could move around easily, but here in Lebanon you need to know how to read.”

Their teacher, Fatima, is also a refugee. She volunteers to provide these lessons for free. She said she started with the basics of even holding a pen, and now her students can read words. The results are rewarding to her because the effects will be felt for generations to come.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Fatima, Volunteer Teacher:
“Of course, when the parents are educated they will want to educate their children, one million percent not one percent. They look at themselves and say ‘we reached where we are today because we didn’t get an education.”

Now, Ghalia can go back home and help her children with their homework.

SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghalia, Syrian Refugee:
“I help them spell. I tell them: ‘This is how you write this letter or that letter. This is how you write this word. What words are these? You’re hand writing needs to be nice.’ Before, I couldn’t differentiate between good and bad handwriting, even if they wrote two or three lines consecutively. But now (I know) they need to write on a line and leave a line blank.”

More than 194,000 foreign children were enrolled in public schools in Lebanon in 2016, the majority of them are Syrian refugees. Ghalia said educating her children is paramount for her so they too, one day, could educate their own children.