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Education is my future

07 September 2015

“My heart almost stopped when I heard about the UNRWA deficit and the possibility of the school year being postponed,” says 15-year-old Nour al-Hoda Attiah, who recently obtained a B grade at the Lebanese official exam for the ninth grade. “This would have been a disaster for us.” 

Nour and her family are originally from Nahr el-Bared camp (NBC) in northern Lebanon, located near the coast just north of Tripoli. In mid-2007, a conflict between the Lebanese Armed Forces and the militant group Fatah al-Islam led to a destructive three-month siege in the camp, leaving some 27,000 residents displaced and an estimated 95 per cent of all buildings and infrastructure either destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared is one of the largest projects that UNRWA has ever undertaken, but it has largely stalled due to insufficient funding – of the estimated US$ 345 million needed to reconstruct the camp, only US$ 206 million has been raised to date. Since October 2009, Nour’s family has been living in a temporary shelter built by UNRWA in an area adjacent to Nahr el-Bared camp. 

Education is my futureEducation is my futureSince October 2009, Nour’s family has been living in a temporary shelter comprised of three rooms built by UNRWA in an area adjacent to Nahr el-Bared camp. Nour’s father refills gas bottles for a living and relies on daily wages to support his family, which has been identified as a special hardship case by UNRWA. Despite the crowded and noisy living conditions, Nour is a hard-working student and does well in school. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Maysoun MustaphaDue to the family’s poor living conditions, Nour has to walk a long distance to reach her school under the burning sun in the summer and the pouring rain in the winter. “Education is the only thing that determines my future,” says Nour. “I will never be able to reach my goal without a proper education, and for this reason, I continue to bear the difficult circumstances.” © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Maysoun MustaphaWhen she was six months old, Nour was injured in her left eye by fireworks that other children were playing with nearby during Eid celebrations. Since then, she has had to change her ocular prosthesis every six months, which costs US$ 2,000 each time; most of this is covered by UNRWA and other charitable associations. Despite this difficult situation, Nour continues her studies with the hopes of becoming an ophthalmologist in order to help other people preserve their eye sight. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by MaysounEducation is my futureNour eagerly awaits the beginning of the school year as she prepares herself for secondary school, which she considers to be the most important phase. “Secondary school is my last stop before university,” she says. “I will do my utmost to obtain a scholarship so that I can study ophthalmology.” © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Maysoun MustaphaWhen asked about how she spends her holidays, Nour says that after finishing her chores, she chats with the elderly residents who get together to drink coffee and talk about their daily lives. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Maysoun MustaphaEducation is my futureNour spends most of her time at home playing with her sisters and neighbours on an iron swing in front of their house. “I feel joyful when I play with the kids in my neighbourhood,” she notes. “I see them as the future and I hope they get the chance, just like I did, to receive a free education. I really hope that support for the education programme continues.” © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Maysoun Mustapha

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