We Passed!

This is the door to Beirut Nazarene Church's STEP program, a school for Syrian refugee children that helps prepare students for an eventual transition to the public education system.  Your compassionate generosity helps us partner with this program.
The following story is written by Caroline, the school's director.

Lana* is a 7 year old Syrian girl. She has 5 sisters. Her mom works as a hairdresser at home to meet the needs of the family.

Last month there was a fire in their apartment building and the mother reached out to us, sharing her fear and sending us pictures of the blackened building. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and their own apartment was undamaged.

We came to know this family when they joined our STEP educational program in October 2020. As refugees, the girls had never been to school, so finding an educational program that could help them catch up was essential for Lana’s parents. Lana and her sisters walk to school each day from their home nearby.

Lana is the one in red

Lana loves school a lot. She and her sisters are smart and fast learners. When classes were paused for the two-week Christmas break, her mother sent us a video of the girls crying hard. They could not wait for school to start again!

Although last year was not a normal year due to COVID shutdowns, they were able to continue studying from home through supported online teaching. We are happy to report that Lana and each of her sisters have successfully passed to another grade level!

110 students in STEP (Syrian Transitional Educational Program) completed their school year, despite intermittent electricity and COVID lockdowns.