A Substantial Energy
It has been six years since Emad fled from Syria to Lebanon in 2013 due to the Syrian crises. He used to live in Al-Zabadani, a city near the Lebanese boarders in Rif Dimashq with his parents and four brothers. Everything changed dramatically after the crises and it is not safe like it used to be, Emad decided that he and his family need to cross the boarders to Lebanon and leave everything behind them. “It was a terrifying step to take but we had to do it, my father refused to cross the boarders, but I had to do that for the sake of my four brothers and mother” he said. Emad wanted to find work immediately when he arrived to Jeb Jannine, Lebanon, he started working as worker in construction and buildings, and tried his best to find a job in agricultural because he is an agricultural engineer.
Job opportunities in Lebanon are difficult, and it would be harder for Emad to find one in the area of his profession. Emad only chance was to be involved in different trainings and workshop offered by local and international NGO, “I had to find something I can develop and gain money from, because I am the only member in the family who can work”, Emad said. He started attending session related to social cohesion and livelihood. Emad is keen to children’s rights, and he was excited once he saw an announcement from ActionAid about children’s rights training.
He was part of a training in ActionAid Community Center in Jeb Jannine about “Promoting Rights in Schools”, 50 young men and women participated in the training, which aims to introduce youth on to children’s rights, moreover the process of creating a survey that is designed to target children in 10 official schools in their community. The survey that the youth will lead will identify the children needs in schools.
Emad is also a teacher volunteer in one of local organization, that is why this training was an added value to his work and experience, he added: “gaining more knowledge on children’s rights was great for me, especially that I have younger brother attending one of the official school in Jeb Jannine”. The training that was conducted is part of the "Educational, economic and social development for Syrian and Lebanese youth" project that implements Entrepreneurial Trainings targeting 500 youth from refugee and host community. It is implemented by Action Aid Lebanon in partnership with Makhzoumi Foundation and in support of Justice Without Frontiers, that is giving a legal session in the training.
