Syrian refugee children living in camps in Torbali, Izmir receive no formal education and are largely excluded from public services. The Human Migration Institute has launched an education program to give these children a chance at building their own bright futures. This education initiative aims to close the learning gap by delivering consistent on-site lessons led by a part-time teacher and providing all necessary educational materials directly to the children in the camps.
Despite being born in Turkey, children in the camps have never attended school, do not speak Turkish, and lack basic skills such as reading, writing, counting, and hygiene. These children are growing up isolated and overlooked, without educational or psychosocial support every child deserves. When they reach age 12, they end up working in the fields or getting married, repeating their parents' lives, as they lack skills and knowledge to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy.
This project establishes an outdoor space to break this cycle of isolation and illiteracy. By providing a teacher, essential stationery, and basic lessons, children learn foundational reading, writing, counting, and hygiene skills, building a bridge to formal education. Meanwhile, regular sports activities and snacks deliver the vital psychosocial support they deserve. This dual approach restores childhood safety, delays early marriage and labor, and empowers them to escape poverty.
By developing foundational skills and experiencing the structure and encouragement of a learning environment, these children will gain the tools to envision a future beyond the cycle of poverty and marginalization that has defined their parents' lives. Over time, this exposure to education may reduce the likelihood of early child labor or underage marriage and instead cultivate dreams for continued learning, personal development, and greater autonomy in adulthood.
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