50,000 school bags distributed to Syrian children ahead of school year

AMMAN — Save the Children Jordan on Sunday initiated the distribution of 50,000 school bags filled with stationery items to be used during the upcoming school year, aiming to support vulnerable children affected by the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan.

The school bags will be given out through the Ministry of Education, several community based organisations and other educational programmes implemented by Save the Children, communications manager at Save the Children Jordan Nancy Afram told The Jordan Times. 

Implemented in partnership with Dubai Cares, the initiative comes as a follow-up to the latest volunteering campaign held by the UAE-based organisation, which gathered over 2,000 volunteers from all over the country to assemble the school kits during the holy month of Ramadan.

“This is what Ramadan is about — the community coming together to recognise the difficulties faced by others and donate our time in order to help them,” volunteer Shakeel Afzal said. 

“It’s rewarding to know just how much of a positive impact these school bags will have on Syrian refugee children.” Maria Luz Pilos, another volunteer, added: “We [the volunteers] are giving them the best possible start during such an important period of their lives, because we all recognise just how important education is in nurturing resilient and confident children.”

"For children affected by the Syrian conflict in Jordan, these school kits are not only important for them to start a new academic year," Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Cares Abdulla Al Shehhi told Emirati media. "It gives a great push forward to keep delivering hope to the most marginalised and deprived children affected by emergencies and protracted crises." 

"Through this initiative, we also hope to alleviate the already very heavy financial burden on families affected by the Syrian crisis in Jordan by giving children the necessary tools they need to learn and prosper," Shehhi said.

Save the Children Jordan development director, Khalil Hijazin, also noted that "this in-kind donation of backpacks by Dubai Cares not only ensures access to essential school supplies for thousands of children in need, but also complements our efforts to encourage the enrollment of children into schools". 

“The costs to be faced during the back to school season place a huge burden on families — especially with the current economic conditions,” Afram added. “Save the Children is very appreciative of the support provided by Dubai Cares, and with our shared values and objectives, we look forward to building a sustainable partnership.”