“My name is Muhammad and I am from Aleppo. I have been here with my family for eight months. My brother was killed by bombing and our house was completely destroyed. I attended the school on the first day of its opening and this centre is the greatest thing that has happened to me. I previously didn’t have any idea about the use of tablets but now I can handle it quite well and I really benefit from the centre. The best classes are those to learn to use Internet and Arabic applications and when we are in class we want it to last all day long.”
Mohammad.
“I arrived at the Al Salama refugee camp five months ago with my family. Our house was completely destroyed so we had no choice but to come to this camp. The internet access here is essential to me as it allows me to communicate with other children my age outside the camp where sometimes, I feel like I am a prisoner. I love learning new things, especially French and science. The applications on the tablets make learning far easier – they are significantly easier to use than computers. This centre has really changed my life. Since I have been a student here, I feel special. All of a sudden, there is a light in my life that was not there before, and despite my sadness and sorrow, I am so happy to take part in these classes.”
Aysha, a 15 years old from Aleppo
“My name is Kamal and I have been here with my family for 9 months. When I came here I didn’t go to school. Three months ago my friend came to me and he was very happy. It was his first class in the educational centre and he talked a lot about the centre and I was very excited to be part of it. I went to the school and I attended the centre for the first time. It was really my best day in the camp. Before that I was selling sweets and biscuits in streets but my life changed when I became a student at school. In the past I hadn’t any idea about computers but now I can use tablets very well and I can surf the internet and even have my own email. And I find that the most interesting thing in the centre is the educational applications especially the science and Arabic applications. Thank you very much TSF for the centre.”
Kamal.
“I have been here with my family for two weeks. We suffered a lot from bombing and hard situations so my father decided to come to the camp. We don't have our own tent yet. So we stay with my aunt. When I attended it for the first time I really was happy and excited. I found it a very exciting way to learn using the tablets. The TSF centre helps me forget the problems I have had to face in the past.”
Nour.
Mohammad, Aysha, Kamal and Nour are among the 250 first children who attend the educational centre equipped with tablets in Al Salama camp at the Turkish-Syrian border. Like them, each day 56 pupils get to know the newest technologies thanks to TSF.
Tablets are playful, dynamic and intuitive and offer a more informal way of learning, enabling pupils to interact with their classmates. They can also stay connected with the outside of the world, beyond the camp area, which is constantly changing.
These Syrian children paid a huge price to the conflict which is pulling their country apart. Most of them are isolated from the outside world and traumatised by the tragedy they’ve been through. But in Al Salama, they now rush every morning to the tent housing the education centre. They are so eager to learn. It wipes from their mind some of the dreadful images of the war – at least for a short while - and gives them hope for a better future.
