Life is Not About Perfection

Sometimes we go to the village feeling that this is stupid and what we do is unreasonable. No schooling should be like this, and there is no benefit and no point. But the moment we step in the village seeing these kids smiling at us, coming from all directions toward where we do our pop-up school and we encounter their simplicity, their innocence and sense of humanity, then we realize that life is not about perfection. 

We come to the idea that a kid can teach one in many ways what really life is about. You don't necessarily have to be in a school where there are class rooms full of school supplies and equipment, gardens, playgrounds, labs and libraries. It's actually about making the best of what you have.

We know surely that this is not the kind of education they deserve, but as a student in our previous pop-up school, Qais said "this is not a classroom, but I like it, you teach us."  It makes possible for kids like Zhiyan to learn, listen to stories, raise her hand to answer questions and sing songs. Kids like Juwan to draw, be expressive, and pursue his dreams.

Zhiyan, who has never been to formal school, loves learning and raising her hand, even if she doesn't know the answer! 

The villages of Rikava and Kharshinya are on the outskirts of Shariya town where EDGE Institute is currently doing the pop-up school once a week to teach English, Arabic, Hygiene, Arts, share stories, and do fun games. The villages represent roughly 500 school-aged children and youth living in incomplete buildings, yet there is not a dedicated educational building or any educational opportunities for these students apart from what exists in Shariya town and Shariya camp, the distance rages from 5 to 7 kilometers (3-4.5 miles).

Aside from those who are in low-quality schooling only 3 days a week, there are about 120 kids who have either left school due to lack of transportation, lack of finances, concerns about safety, the fact that there is no place for them in schools or have never been in a school since the acts of genocide perpetrated by the Islamic State.

We know that this is not the kind of education they deserve, so will you help us in doing something more convenient for these kids?