 |
| Muzoon in Zaatari camp, Jordan |
Muzoon, 16 years old, is from
Derra, Syria. She came with her parents,
two brothers and a younger sister to Zaatari refugee camp a little over two years ago. Along with her mother, I met this inspiring young woman during her first
visit to the International Rescue Committee back in March.
She was there looking for a vocational training program for her mother.
Enthusiastic, with a very
positive outlook on life, she learned at a very young age that education is an
important driving force for a successful life. Before the civil war, Muzoon was
attending school in Syria where she was also learning English.
Unfortunately like many
others, her entire family was forced to leave Syria as a consequence of the on-going
civil war, which has claimed the lives of over 200,000 people thus so far. Determined to continue her
education Muzoon is attending one of the schools run by UNICEF at Zaatari
camp. Her unfailing desire for an
education, natural talents, and sheer willpower to overcome the harsh reality
of life in a refugee camp immediately gained the attention of many. Consequently, Muzoon
was appointed UN Ambassador for Education in Zaatari refugee camp. She is working with UNICEF to raise awareness about the need for attending school.
As of now there are three
schools operating double shifts. With a total of 20,608
registered students, girls attend the morning shift and boys the afternoon
shift. Zaatari, with a population of
150,000 refugees, 50% are children.
One of the challenges for
refugee camp students is school attendance.
To aid their families, children are often expected to help their
families and thus work; child labor and family responsibilities hit boys
particularly hard. Also, since most of
the refugees in Zaatari come from poor villages in the south of Syria, a large
number of children have never attended school before.
Muzoon is synonymous for resilience.
She believes her people should not be afraid of their present circumstances and
hardships, but think of the future and how they are going to rebuild the
country once they are back in their homeland. “We have to be strong and not feel
defeated”, she adds.
 |
| Muzoon with her mom in Zaatari camp, Jordan |
Unlikely other refugees from Zaatari, Muzoon thinks “life hasn’t stopped. We all should think of our lives here and now. We should
stop the blame and concentrate on education”.
With the conflict going on
its 4th year and with no signs of an agreement between the opposition
and the Assad regime, more refugees are arriving everyday at the Zaatari camp. For Muzoon the UNHCR should be focusing their efforts on education because for her it
is the key to solving Syria’s problems.
A 16-year-old Syrian refugee
who wants to become a journalist Muzoon is trying to change
lives in her community no matter what.
