Syrians continue to be the largest forcibly displaced population in our world. The Syrian civil war started in March, 2011 and it took only 2 years for a million people to be displaced and another million were displaced in only 6 months. This conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Over half of the country’s pre-war population – more than 12 million people – have been killed or forced to flee their homes.
Before the war Syria was very much like many developing countries- popular hobbies were sport, music, fashion, etc. Syria had more tourists (8.5 million) than Australia (5.8 million) in 2010 and was home to six UNESCO world heritage (all of them have been destroyed or damaged in the war). It was a beautiful and relatively peaceful country now plagued by war. What began as a peaceful uprising against Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad six years ago became a full-scale civil war that has left more than 300,000 people dead, devastated the country and drawn in global powers. A key factor has been the intervention of regional and world powers, including Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Their military, financial and political support for the government and opposition has been the main cause of the intensification and continuation of the fighting and turned Syria into a proxy battleground.
6.3 million people have fled Syria. That is more than the entire population of Singapore. Perhaps the most disturbing fact, most of them are women and children.
Today nearly half of the world’s refugees are children. Many of them either die on the treacherous journey or reach their destiny unaccompanied; this makes them extremely vulnerable to child labour or sexual exploitation. Enrolling in school is not an option without citizenship- most don’t even have identification.
The refugee crisis is not a recent phenomenon. Yet, after 7 years of hapless victims of the war raging in Syria, developed countries like those of the EU and the United States of America still do not provide these children with education. Without access to quality education, they will be thrown into the never ending poverty cycle, stuck and unable to escape.
This is precisely the issue that Sky School targets. “Sky School is a global high school that provides access to high-quality secondary education to refugee, displaced and disadvantaged youth.” By providing a solid education, Sky School enables and empowers, underprivileged child refugees to better themselves and unlocks a multitude of opportunities allowing them to escape the ruthless poverty cycle. As more schools are established, we hope that one day, the issue of anyone not having access to quality education ceases so that every individual has an equal opportunity to rise up and be the best they can.
By Khushi Raju, a grade 9 student
I wonder if MEDCs such as the United States and the EU nations are morally obligated to take responsibility? Nonetheless, it’s great to see organisations like Sky School are assuming responsibility. Any thoughts?