Forced to flee Syria, after war broke out eight years ago, teenage Gharam still longs to return home. Like other Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, she has found it difficult to assimilate, confronting language barriers and other obstacles to her education and integration. In the Jesuit Refugee Service school she attends, however, Gharam has discovered a welcoming oasis.

“When I go to school,” Gharam explains, “it’s as if I’m in another world that is beautiful and wonderful.

“My teachers and friends there help me forget my sadness and anger from the war,” she adds.

School as a safe haven for refugees

JRS schools offer safe places where refugee students like Gharam regain a sense of normalcy and continue their educations. Amid the hardships and wounds of displacement, our students find they can begin dreaming of a future again.

“My teachers illuminate a future for me and guide me,” says Nour Sawan, a JRS student in Kafr Zabad. “They encourage me to continue my studies and to be a special person in the community.”

Be a special person in the JRS community. Give generously to help keep hope alive in these young hearts.  Make your act of faith, hope, and love this holiday season by donating today.