The Syrian Conflict: The Forgotten Ones

DAMASCUS, Syria — When war strikes in a country, worries about the economy, infrastructure of the government and potential recovery from conflict looms in the minds of many. There is a group, however, that often gets forgotten. They are the true casualties of war: children.
For the last three years, Syria has been a battle ground between two groups: those who are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the opponents of the president. When protests turned violent, Syria erupted.
In the course of three years, over 100,000 Syrians have been killed and about 9 million Syrians have either fled or been displaced within the country as a result of conflict.
Out of the 9 million displaced within Syria or in refugee camps, 3 million are children, an October 2013 NPR report stated. These precious victims of armed conflict have suffered more than most can comprehend. The children of Syria have had their education and family life affected and have been psychologically damaged.

Loss of Education

Before civil conflict erupted in Syria, its education system was something sought after in the entire region. Literacy rates were over 90 percent and there was a 97 percent attendance rate for primary school aged children before conflict broke out in 2011.
Since the bloodshed began, 4072 schools have either been turned into shelters, storage facilities or military bases. As a result of this, there is an estimated 2.8 million Syrian children out of school. 60,000 child refugees in Jordan are so far behind in school that it’s too late to enroll in the public school system, UNICEF reports.
There have been places who have welcomed Syrian refugees, such as in Gaziantep, Turkey, which opens schools for the children with curriculum similar to what the students were taught back home. Opening these schools is challenging, however, because the average class size is about 40 students.

Families Disbanded

A study reported by NPR showed that three out of four of the children who arrived in Turkey had lost a loved one.
Once conflict broke out, families fled to bordering countries for refuge. For more than 8,000 children, somewhere along the way, they arrived at neighboring countries alone. Some were displaced or orphaned, alone and scared.
In June 2014, Italy reported over 9,000 child immigrants to have come from Syria since the beginning of the year. In the 58,000 total immigrants who arrived in Italy, 3,160 were unaccompanied minors–many of whom were under five years of age.
These children get lost and forgotten. Children abandoned, orphaned or displaced become extremely susceptible to joining in organized crime, being kidnapped or taken for human and organ trafficking.

Psychological Warfare

Adults are not the only ones vulnerable to PTSD. As products of the Syrian conflict, children have a hard time forgetting what they saw, smelled and heard.
“It’s like a terrifying nightmare that just keeps going on and on. You live everyday as if it’s your last because you might die any second, “a doctor in rural Damascus said.
Because of the horrifying conditions they come out of, these affected children come to refugee camps with depression and sometimes PTSD. NPR reports some children have a difficult times transitioning out of survival mode. Because of this, children are hyper-alert and often act out in anger or aggression.
Displays of PTSD through anger and aggression can be seen in the refugee camp Zaatari, located in Jordan. Here, children can be seen “punching, fighting or throwing rocks.”
As disheartening as it may seem, hope shines through with these children. Signs of healing can be seen in the camp with children watching the classic cartoon Tom and Jerry, using their imagination while building with Legos and sandcastles or even playing a game of soccer.
With just these small acts, the will of the human spirit once again proves stronger than any outside force that tries to damage it.

How Much Does Baby Think It Over Dolls Cost?!Save a Girl Child

Porcelain DollsCollecting Porcelain Dolls As A Rare Collectible

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Letas now look found on the figures which speak the truth for itself. According to the last officias census figures!

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Educate Girls for Their Better Future - Why It is Important?

Educating girl child is never wastage of money or resources instead it is a better investment for parents as once girls get employed, they will think of their parents before boys who will think of their own family first. Educated girls have better knowledge about health and hygiene in homes which improves families as they know what to do and how to do.

Denying education to girl child means destroying her talents. It has been seen that number of girls has been successful and helpful to communities and if good education is imparted to them, they can become good leaders who are more development oriented than men.

Various studies have confirmed that illiterate women have high levels of maternal mortality, low earning potential and poor nutritional status. Remember that if you want your community to grow and develop, avoid leaving section of girls behind in terms of education. We need all groups of society well-educated for proper development of nation. Girls should be taken as boys and women should be handled at par with men.

Poverty Levels Fluctuate in Bhutan

THIMPHU, Bhutan — The recent improvements in Bhutan’s poverty levels have not come without notable setbacks. According to the World Bank, the small, landlocked country in Southern Asia reduced its poverty level from 23 percent to 12 percent between 2007 and 2012. While this reduction is a triumph for Bhutan, the rural poor continue to face many obstacles. For every two families that escape poverty, one falls back into dire circumstances.


The rural poor face the biggest risk of long-term poverty despite the country’s 10th Five Year Plan. The plan, which led to the 2012 reduction, was predominately based on economic development. In rural areas, most people work as subsistence farmers or day laborers. These jobs only provide workers with enough food and money to survive, which leads to frequent fluctuations above and below the poverty line.
In addition to the nature of labor in rural areas, the topography of Bhutan has been a major factor contributing to high poverty rates. The region is mountainous, with rugged, uneven terrain. In the past, these conditions made it incredibly difficult for inhabitants of remote villages to access healthcare and education. However, The Bhutan Poverty Assessment Report 2014 states that the development of highways and roads has led to increased school enrollment and more efficient travel.
Some of Bhutan’s natural resources have proven to be of economic value. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, timber, hydropower, gypsum and calcium carbonate are all abundant in the region. The World Bank’s report notes that commercialized agriculture and hydropower ventures are beginning to flourish in rural Bhutan. Although Bhutan is a landlocked country, trade with neighboring India has upped crop production by eight percent.


The CIA anticipates that hydropower will play a major role in Bhutan’s future economic development. Although 95 percent of Bhutan’s hydropower potential remains untouched, the manpower and equipment needed to accommodate it will increase available jobs and trade.


The United Nations Development Program has been working with local Bhutanese government to improve public services. In 2008, the Rural Economy Advancement Program (REAP) was launched in an effort to reduce rural poverty. Two targeted districts, Zhemgang and Mongar, received REAP’s assistance in improving agricultural ventures, expanding sources of income via development of non-agricultural skills, and establishing community programs to boost forward economic thinking.


Poverty reduction still remains a key goal for Bhutan’s government. While international assistance has helped some villages prosper, it is crucial that the government establish state systems for protecting its citizens from poverty. The World Bank proposes that social and financial programs would help stabilize poverty-stricken regions. Farmers would be able to attain crop insurance and receive financial assistance in the event of an emergency.


Bhutan should continue to take advantage of its abundant natural resources. The hydropower industry will continue to grow; providing jobs for locals and earning the country valuable trade revenue. Additionally, the report suggests that Bhutan consider growing its private sector. Rural farmers, if given access to markets or distributors, could earn the income needed to escape poverty in the long term.

A single mother

Camino Nuevo’s Burlington middle school campus is around the corner from where Blanca Ruiz works long hours at a nail salon.


Since she came here from Mexico years ago, she often felt she was barely keeping it together. She was sharing an apartment with her two kids and several roommates. Sometimes the stress would overwhelm her kids.


“I’m a single mother who came here with very low self-esteem, very unfocused, and with severe economic problems,” she said in Spanish. “If I was insecure, my kids would feel the same way.”


Her son Luis acted out. He got bad grades. He refused to do what his mom said and that enraged her.


“She screams because I don’t want to listen to her,” he said.
In class, sometimes Luis would stare off at his desk, checked out; other times he’d become disruptive, start talking, get up and walk around. He expressed no interest in learning and made it difficult for other students in class to stay on task.


“Sometimes I forgot, or sometimes I would decide not to do my work,” he said flatly.


In fifth grade, he was sent to the principal’s office for ignoring his teacher’s instructions. The principal suspended him from school.

Tackling hunger stitch by stitch

Our craft group started as an excuse to drink wine and hang out, but we have had many achievements: Lucy knitted her first scarf, Anja made beautiful monochrome slippers, Kris taught us how to crochet, and we contributed to ending world hunger.
Jigsaw warriors
As caring, social-justice-seeking, change-the world types, the imapiece project, which supports Save the Children’s Race Against Hunger campaign, was right up our alley.
We all got into making the jigsaw pieces, chatting about the slogans we chose and talking about what a world free of hunger and injustice would look like.
It was a perfect project for a craft night as the jigsaw pieces were so quick and easy to finish.

The jigsaw pieces raise awareness of the Race Against Hunger campaign

Taking it to the top
None of us had ever met our MP, but we decided we really wanted to share our passion for the imapiece campaign with the person responsible for representing us in parliament.
Having worked out who that person was (!), we sent an email to Meg Hiller requesting a meeting to give her the jigsaw pieces we had made.
Meeting our MP
One morning before work, Sarah, Lucy and I went along to Hackney town hall, jigsaw pieces in hand, ready to meet our MP and urge her to support the Race Against Hunger campaign.
I’ll admit I was a bit nervous; I was worried I wouldn’t know what to say, or that Meg might ask us a question we didn’t have the answer to, or point out how amateur our stitching was!
But it was a great meeting, Meg loved the jigsaw pieces and it turns out she’s an avid crafter herself.

Laura (on the left) and friend take their jigsaw pieces to meet their MP

She was super down to earth, and having craft in common made it easy to chat and relate to each other.
Global connections
We discussed why we loved living in a multi-cultural community, the vibrant celebrations, the variety of food, the availability of beautiful fabrics and the constant connect to the rest of the world.
Living in Hackney means we cannot ignore global problems: a hungry child anywhere effects us all, our neighbours, our friends and our families.
What a result!
Meg agreed to write to David Cameron asking him to ensure that at the G8 hunger summit this year the voice of our community is heard and leaders commit to ending world hunger.
The meeting gave us such a buzz! We felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Meg seemed to enjoy the meeting too.

Laura and pals meet their MP, Meg Hillier

She said: “Even in an area of deprivation like Hackney, we know there are bigger challenges around the world. It’s important that we press our leaders to act against hunger globally.”

Engaged and empowered

Since then Meg has kept us informed about her correspondence with David Cameron.
We all felt that engaging in political processes in a personal way is really empowering.
Turns out our craft nights are not just a good excuse for drinking wine, they also tackle global injustice!
Sign Save the Children’s petition urging David Cameron to use the G8 summit to tackle the issue of world hunger and save millions of children’s lives.

Written off?

Written off?


Rather than write him off, the staff at Camino Nuevo got him to meet with a mental health counselor at the school. He also received tutoring everyday to catch up in math.


His mom went to the school’s group sessions for parents.
“I think it helped me because if you want to help your kid, you have to be emotionally stable, a clear mind and more positive,” she said.
Since she started counseling at the school, Ruiz lost fifty pounds and saved money to buy a reliable car.


Last year, Ruiz moved her kids 15 miles east to a house in El Monte with a tiny porch and big lemon tree. But there was no way she was changing schools.


She still drives Luis to Camino Nuevo in MacArthur Park every day on her way to work. Sometimes she’ll bring him a special treat of KFC for lunch.


A turnaround


Luis’s sixth grade teacher, Sarah Wechsler, keeps a close eye on him. She tracks even the smallest details, like how often she encourages him. She wants to make sure positive reinforcements far outpace stern talk.


Wechsler said in the last year, she’s seen Luis completely turn around and take ownership of his schoolwork.


“You want to be your own man, don’t you?” she said, smiling at Luis with encouragement.


Luis still has days where he feels unfocused, and Wechsler allows him to take breaks or move to another desk. On a recent school day, Luis chose the table facing a wall. Without distraction, he hunkered down to divide fractions.


As the school year was drawing to a close, evidence of Camino Nuevo’s work – and Luis’s - became evident in one unmistakable way: He finally reached grade level in math.


How does that make him feel?
“Proud,” he said.


CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Ana Ponce as a founder of Camino Nuevo and misstated its current number of campuses. KPCC regrets the errors.