Rabouaa arrived in Lebanon from Aleppo when she was 6. Her family fled the war in Syria and found refuge in the fertile Bekaa valley.
Living conditions for refugees in Lebanon are difficult – 80% lives in extreme poverty - and many children either do not get into or drop out of school.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Rabouaa had been enrolled in an education and psychosocial support programme. Appropriately called ‘SHIELD’, it is run by a consortium of NGOs with EU humanitarian funds.
Rabouaa started an accelerated learning programme and managed to get into school. COVID-19 confined her in a tent, but that did not stop her. The girl’s motivation moved her to start making facemasks and raise awareness in her camp. This is her story.
Story by War Child in Lebanon.
Meet Rabouaa 01Rabouaa witnessed the death of her brother. She received psychosocial support and an opportunity to catch up on missed years of schooling. She had to take several levels of basic literacy and numeracy before starting an accelerated learning programme. Meet Rabouaa 02Rabouaa was very motivated to educate herself and would spend hours a day going through the material. Meet Rabouaa 03© War Child in Lebanon, 2021. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions. Meet Rabouaa 04The facilitators and teachers who reached out online shared videos on COVID-19 spread and prevention. After several sessions, Rabouaa decided to take action. She started watching videos on YouTube showing how to make masks against COVID-19 infection. Meet Rabouaa 05Rabouaa borrowed the different materials and tools from her mother and started making masks for her relatives and friends. Meet Rabouaa 06She even borrowed an old sewing machine from a neighbour in the camp. Meet Rabouaa 07Rabouaa also talked to the other families in the camp – 30 in all - about the importance of wearing masks. Meet Rabouaa 08Rabouaa produced several masks that were washable. Meet Rabouaa 09She even made masks for the children in the camp. Meet Rabouaa 09b “Rabouaa has always had a kind heart and has always looked after her friends and siblings. At her age, to do what she did for our community is incredible. I am a proud father,” said Rabouaa’s father. Meet Rabouaa 10Rabouaa never went to a formal school. At age 12 and after completing the accelerated learning programme, she is now eligible to enrol in a school should she wish to do so. Rabouaa caught up on learning through the EU-funded ‘SHIELD’ programme.