Lebanon: The right to learn

Children in refugee camps attend literacy classes run by Association Najdeh [Association Najdeh]

Inside the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, girls and young women are getting an education and learning vocational skills that will equip them to support their families for life

Being eleven years old is not easy. As you approach the “difficult” teenage years most children have bouts of low self confidence and worry about fitting in.

But for Huda Hamoud El-Ali these feelings are more pronounced.

Huda’s father left when she was just two years old and refused to acknowledge her as his child, leaving her without an official identity card.

As a child, she moved home many times and although eager to learn never went to school.

Growing up she found it difficult to play with girls her own age. She told people she went to school to hide her lack of education.

“I was very sad and afraid that my friends would find out my secret that I couldn’t read and write”, she says. “Changing where I lived so often helped me continue hiding the truth.”

Learning to read and write

This has all changed thanks to literacy classes run by our partner, Association Najdeh in the Shatila camp near Beirut.

“Now I no longer have to lie. I can read and write and I know what my rights are: my right to learn, my right to play and the right to express my opinion.

“My confidence is growing and I can discuss things with my friends and express my opinions.”

Life in a the refugee camps

Huda lives in one of twelve official refugee camps in Lebanon. These areas were created in the years immediately following the 1948 Arab-Israel conflict to house refugees from northern Palestine.

The camps, which are home to more than 216,000 people, are overcrowded, and housing is poor.

The refugees have limited civil rights and access to public health and education services. The main provider of services is UNWRA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, but it is already overstretched and struggles to attract enough funds to respond to the increasing needs of the Palestinian refugees. Organisations like Association Najdeh fill an important gap.

Undeterred by the high levels of unemployment in the camps, Huda is planning to enrol on a hairdressing course when she finishes her studies so she can help support her family.

Developing skills for life

Palestinian women train as hairdressers in one of Association Najdeh's centres [Association Najdeh]

Hiba Abed el-Moleh is on a similar course in the Ein el-Hilweh camp - the largest camp in the country situated in the south near the city of Sidon.

The course is part of Association Najdeh’s Vocational Training Programme which aims not only to train but also to empower girls and women like Huda and 17-year-old Hiba.

“I feel that my self-confidence has increased because of the workshops I took part in,” says Hiba, who is one of seven children in her family.

“The programme not only empowers women to earn their own income, but also raises awareness of women’s rights.

“In the beginning I felt useless, now I feel strong. After I finish my training I will find a job and care for my family."

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