Syrian Refugee Crisis

This World Vision project provides the first therapeutic steps toward moving past the horrors of war and displacement. No child should experience what Shamsa’s children have lived through— especially 13-year-old Abdallah. 

Three years ago, when the war in Syria made life there too dangerous for the family, Shamsa and her husband left most of their belongings behind and fled to Lebanon with their seven children. While the entire family lived through horrors most can only imagine, Abdallah was most deeply scarred.

“My son saw a man being killed with his own eyes, and this affected his mental state. He is almost always afraid of something bad happening, Shamsa said. “He is having a difficult time learning, or making friends.”

It didn’t help matters when eight months ago, Shamsa’s husband abandoned the family. She wonders what happened to him, but she can’t focus on that these days. “I have no one. I am trying my best to be able to provide for my children. I am working any job I can find—cleaning houses, land work, and whatever else I can find,” she said.

World Vision has stepped into the void left by the family’s flight from Syria and loss of support from the children’s father.  Shamsa’s five youngest children are enrolled in early childhood education or psychosocial support classes. And Shamsa benefits as well, participating in positive parenting classes in which she learns about child protection, the importance of education, and the dangers of child marriage and child labor. 

Abdallah is starting to emerge from the dark place he’s occupied since the family’s troubles began. “I’ve learned a lot of new things I was not aware of before, such as safe places to play in, my rights, and other topics. …I even made new friends,”  Abdallah said. The teen has done well enough that he is moving on to public school and a formal education—a first for him since
the family came to Lebanon. 

“I have noticed that he is able to learn now,” Shamsa said, adding, “I just want my children to have a proper education, because from my experience, education is the key for their future.”