In a press release dated November 29, 2013, António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said: "If we do not act quickly, an innocent generation will be sacrificed because of this terrible war." If Syrian children are threatened in many ways and are the first victims of this conflict, they are also likely to pay the highest price in terms of education. In fact many of the displaced are out of school and this issue is at the top of the concerns of their loved ones.
As for the little ones, the program used the existing structures of daycare units in its centers for the integration of children with special needs. It welcomes Syrian children living in difficult conditions in order to enable them to enjoy, a few hours per day, a protected healthy educational environment.
On another level, arcenciel and its sister NGO himaya have set up, in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States, a range of activities under the Rainbow of Hope project (October 2013-July 2014). One of the key activities is the access of children (Lebanese as Syrian), aged from 6 to 11 years, to English classes (560 children of which 224 are Syrians), in the premises of partnering organizations in more than 17 Lebanese localities. For Syrian children, these courses are more than an upgrade, rather a new learning since their entire education in Syria was given in Arabic including science subjects. Through these courses, they will acquire basic concepts, essential for their integration in the Lebanese school system and thus, follow more easily the subjects taught in foreign languages. In addition, kits, including textbooks and materials, are given to them, benefiting their siblings. Also under the Rainbow of Hope project, himaya established conflict resolution sessions as well as sports and arts activities. Each week, Lebanese as Syrian children are transported from their place of residence to the North, Bekaa, Mount Lebanon and the South to take advantage of these various activities.
As part of a project funded by UNICEF (from November 15th, 2013 to November 15th, 2014), preventive activities are implemented among other activities, in different Lebanese regions. Thus in order to prevent early marriages, training is provided to 400 adolescent Syrian girls in order to strengthen their skills so they can become capable of securing their own financial independence and provide for their families. Another 72 hours ambulatory training, for parents and children (4,000 beneficiaries), aims to educate target groups for the prevention of sexual problems, as well as fights against gender-based violence and familiarization with self-protection behavior.
In addition, himaya is working closely with the Catholic University of Milan, in order to develop tools that will allow Syrian refugee children to overcome their trauma and to develop skills of resilience. Questionnaires were submitted by himaya psychologists to 158 Syrian children (goal: 400 children). Similarly, recreational and psychosocial activities are provided to these children to help in this matter.
Regarding trainings leading to employment, the Danish Refugee Council provides in arcenciel’s Halba center nearly 60 Syrian refugees with courses in nursing, makeup and cooking.
Parallel to these actions and to ensure access to education to as many refugee children as possible, arcenciel participated, with fundings from USAID through OTI, in several major actions: development of several public schools in the Bekaa in order to increase their accommodation capacity; opening the arcenciel Taanayel center premises for one month to allow a hundred Syrian students prepare official exams of the Syrian high school diploma in optimal conditions, followed by the organization of the of these exams from August 15th to 29 th, 2013, in the official school "Our Lady of Consolata " in Taanyel . These actions are of the utmost importance, because if many Syrian children are going to school, the fact is that they are informal establishments with no official recognition and, therefore, cannot issue diplomas and validate the received education. If the situation continues, they may therefore, pursue studies that will lead to a deadlock. It is in this purpose that arcenciel worked to obtain accreditation from the Ministry of Education and Graduate Studies in Syria that will allow students to get the official diploma, an imperative for university entrance and training pursuit, because as a refugee professor said : "Without education there is no salvation."
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