UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan inspires young girls refugees to study for a better future
“I recommit myself to represent all of the children whose voices have been silenced for too long – and whose chance to learn, and of hope for a better future have been destroyed by war”, promised UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan while visiting young Syrian refugees who now go to school in Jordan.
After moving to the United Kingdom in 2015, this was the first time Muzoon returned to the place where she lived for three years in refugee camps. “Returning to Jordan to meet children whose hope has been restored through education has compelled me to raise my voice even louder for the 27 million children who remain out of school because of conflict”, she said.
Many Syrian kids have never stepped their foot in a classroom, not to mention the ones who lost five or six years of school. In fact, more than 2.4 million Syrian children don’t have access to education - 1.7 million alone in Syria and over 730,000 refugees in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan in Jordan
In the course of her trip, Muzoon met many children who go to Makani, a UNICEF supported institution located in Amman. One of the students who attend this centre is Sedra, a 14-year-old girl. Her family left Syria when she was 10 years old and this led her to miss two years of school. She is currently catching up on her studies to fulfill her dream of becoming a legal advisor in the future. "Hearing about Sedra's experiences took me back to when my family and I fled the war. I was so sad and scared to leave my home and school behind – the only hope I held on to was to continue my education,” said Muzoon.
It’s been more than four years that Muzoon fled Syria. She remembers that the only belongings she took were books. Then she spent three years in Jordan, in which half of that period was in Za’atari refugee camp, where she devoted her time to get girls into education by encouraging their parents to take their children to school. As a result of her work as an education activist she got the position of UNICEF’s youngest ever Goodwill Ambassador.
“Education equips girls and boys with the knowledge and skills to fully realize their potential. Schools also provide stability and a sense of normalcy that help Syrian children overcome the challenges of life as a refugee,” affirmed UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins. “Jordan has made an incredible commitment to enable Syrian children to access education, but urgent support is required from the global community to further build on progress achieved to date”, he added.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Muzoon Almellehan talking about education for every child in Jordan
UNICEF works to ensure Syrian victims have access to formal and informal education. Its program offers double-shifting systems in approximately 500 schools in Jordan and Lebanon, ‘back-to-learning’ campaigns, and rehabilitation of 1,000 classrooms across refugee host countries. Despite these efforts, the organization lacks financial resources. UNICEF has received only half of the funding needed to grant education to the children affected by the Syrian crisis.