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Transcript/Script
FOR USAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Syria Schools (TV)
HEADLINE: Syria School Closures: Another Blow for Syrian Children
TEASER: The UN says Syria faces “unprecedented levels” of need amid funding cuts.
PUBLISHED AT: Friday, 05/20/2022
BYLINE: Mouneb Taim, Heather Murdock
DATELINE: Idlib, Syria
VIDEOGRAPHER: Mouneb Taim, Moawia Atrash, Mohammad Daboul
VIDEO EDITOR:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): All VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _x_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:41
APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
[[INTRO: Aid groups say funding cuts in Syria could prevent as many as 100,000 children from going to school in coming weeks in Idlib, the last remaining rebel held province in the country. Already, almost one third of children in Idlib are not attending school. For VOA, Mouneb Taim has this report from Idlib with Heather Murdock in Istanbul.]]
((NARRATOR:))
This boy left school in Idlib three years ago to work to support his family after his father was killed in an airstrike.
The province remains a battle zone after 12 years of war, even though the conflict is no longer in the headlines.
((Bashar al-Abd, Child Worker)) ((Male child, in Arabic))
“I work repairing motorcycles. My job is to give tools to my boss.”
((NARRATOR:))
The United Nations says the suffering of children in Syria has reached “unprecedented levels” this year. The pandemic and the food crisis have stretched aid resources thin, and available funding to support families is dwindling.
Aid groups say the schools that are educating 100,000 Syrian children in Idlib province are now in danger of closing because of international funding cuts last month.
Bashar’s mother says after her husband died, she got a job and tried to keep all of her five children in school.
((Thana Al-Daher, Bashar’s Mother)) ((Female, in Arabic))
“I worked as a school administrator for three months, but then I fell ill and had to go to the hospital. I was forced to let my son learn the job of repairing motorcycles and cars so we could live.”
((NARRATOR:))
Now, only her two youngest children go to school and aid workers say this is not unusual. But if more schools close, they warn, the results could be catastrophic.
((Abdullah Abdul Qadir, Syria Relief Education Coordinator)) ((Male, in Arabic))
“Thirty percent of children are already out of school and that is a very large number. If we lose support, that number will double, reaching 60%. This number is terrifying.”
((NARRATOR:))
And teachers say children who cannot attend school have almost no future.
((Ahmed Al-Hashoum, Syrian Teacher)) ((Male, in Arabic))
“More children will join the labor force when schools close because their education will be interrupted. They will spend their time on the streets, facing their own fates and this will lead to a disaster in society.”
((NARRATOR:))
Besides increasing child labor, this disaster could include child marriages, and more children recruited into militant groups.
Bashar says he only dreams of affording good, fresh food for his family. But he hasn’t forgotten that he once had a chance to get an education.
((Bashar al-Abd, Child Worker)) ((Male child, in Arabic))
“The truth is, I loved school. I would love to go back.”
((NARRATOR))
The UN says most children in Syria are already living in dire poverty, and face shortages of food, clean water and electricity. About a third are malnourished, and many still face the dangers of war.
((HEATHER MURDOCK FOR MOUNEB TAIM, VOA NEWS, IDLIB, SYRIA))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMay 20, 2022 09:03 EDT
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
