Lana’s story: education is essential
When the Syrian civil war started in 2011, Fatouma had a toddler named Lana and had just given birth to her second child. While the border was still open, Fatouma and her family fled to Lebanon.
Life as refugees has been harsh. Fatouma supports her family by picking potatoes – a physically demanding job that pays very little. After 12 years in Lebanon and three more children, the family still lived in a tent and struggled to make ends meet.
For Lana and her sisters, a nearby child-friendly space has been a source of joy during difficult times. "My daughters are very happy when they go there," Fatouma said. "I can also relax, because I know they are in a safe place, learning good and important things."
After graduating from the child-friendly space, Lana enrolled in a local church's education centre. Fatouma said that the education she's getting there has transformed her life. "I myself don't know how to read or write," Fatouma noted. "I would like to learn, but I never had neither the time nor the opportunity."
But when hostilities escalated across Lebanon's southern border in 2023, education was put on hold. "There were many bombings in our area, but we couldn't flee anywhere because we live in a tent and we have nothing," Fatouma said. "Not even a car or any money to rent something somewhere else."
When a bomb hit a nearby building, Fatouma's tent started to burn with her family still inside. "We were still in shock from the shelling, and I even got injured in the leg from a shrapnel," she recalled.
Fatouma, Lana and the rest of the family escaped the fire, but they lost their home, their savings and everything they owned. "We ran out of our tent without shoes on," Fatouma said. "What I am wearing today as I am talking to you, someone gave it to me."
The child-friendly space and the education centre closed because of the conflict, which was devastating for Fatouma's kids. "They suffered a lot psychologically and emotionally, from the fear of bombings and from our displacement," she acknowledged. Lana went to work in the fields with her mom, but she never lost sight of her dream to keep studying.
The church was able to support Fatouma's family in other ways while the education centre was closed. With support from Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Humanitarian Coalition, the church helped Fatouma's family rebuild their tent, furnish it and buy essentials like rice and cooking oil.
Later on, when the education centre opened again after the ceasefire, Lana begged to go back. "She loves to learn," Fatouma said. "This is home to her." Lana's younger sisters were also excited to go back to the child-friendly space and regain a sense of normalcy. Fatouma is thankful that her daughters have somewhere to go where they can learn and be safe.
Pictured: Lana on the steps of the education centre, with her mother Fatouma standing behind her.