I was in a Turkish town bordering Syria in March this year, working on an educational project for Syrian children. After lunch on the second day of the conference we entered a solemn room, our host- an elderly man of 70 was crying, there was a mixture of emotions in the room; some were smiling sadly, others on the brink of tears -all released in an air of determination. We soon learned that one of the main contributors to the conference, a teacher from Aleppo and one of the strongest people I’ve the pleasure of meeting -his daughter had been killed by a bomb on her way back home from school. He was given platform to speak for as long as he wanted, but he kept it short. He prayed for her, her name was Tasneem, she was 12 years old. Then stayed sitting – the borders were still open then, they closed at 5pm, a few hours drive would have got him home, to his family, to his daughter. But he remained amongst us that day, saying: “tomorrow is what is important now, our children’s future – Syria’s future; we have work to do.”

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I pledged to raise 25K in the summer to sponsor a Syrian school. The sponsorship covers the uniform, lunch, books and resources, and teacher wages for a whole school of approx 180 children inside Syria, via the Care Schools initiative by Human Care Syria.

We all know of the deteriorating situation in Syria- this needs no introduction, but one thing we oft forget is that hope exists still, and always will, as long as we keep investing in Syria’s future. When we speak of rebuilding Syria – our words aren’t just an exhaustion of nostalgic nationalist rhetoric, but of genuine efforts and vision to see a homeland – of which divine significance has been established – rise again, just as Europe did 70 years ago, rendering a region of once destroyed infrastructure a most prosperous and leading example. Though, and as much as we wish would happen, Syria won’t rise from the ashes in phoenix fervour, but from the sweat and tears of our efforts in innovative initiatives and projects; one of which, is education.

Other than it being a fundamental right for every single child to be schooled, there are many other benefits to educating Syria’s children in the context of war: in investing in the future both locally and globally; in fighting against child-soldier recruitment; and in raising an educated generation which stands firmly against ignorance -strengthening our battle against the tyranny and extremism rampant in the region and ensuring a future void of such influence.

And ultimately, education is a guarantee for a better life. In educating a Syrian child, you are giving them life when the whole world has collectively condoned their death. In educating a Syrian child, you’re contributing to the rebuilding of Syria – which will, God willing – be at the forefront of civilisation -soon. Because if the uncle who lost his daughter has relentless hope which even a 7+ countries strong air force can’t extinguish, who are we to refute and despair?

Please do help me reach my goal by donating (and sharing) what you can to keep this school going – and to keep our children educated.