Syrian woman brings education to children in war-torn areas

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Mariam Shriout is committed to ensuring children in her community have access to education.

In Syria, this isn’t a straightforward task. More than 10 schools have been bombed in Ma’arat al-Nu’man, the city where Shriout lives.

In 2013, Shriout started a learning centre to help children in her northwestern Syrian town catch up on school after falling behind due to the disruptions of war. She called the center With Knowledge We Grow.

“There were a lot of children who should have been in their third or fourth grade in school, but they completely missed those grades,” she told Nasaem Souria TV. “Our aim was to have children rejoin the right classes for their age groups.”

WATCH: A report from Nasaem Souria TV about a woman who created a learning centre for children affected by war in Syria

The team at Nasaem Souria TV were trained by Journalists for Human Rights and documented Shriout’s passion for educating children even when it is dangerous. The story, focusing on children’s right to education, is an example of the kind of human rights-focused pieces that JHR helps train journalists to find.

JHR’s Syria project, in partnership with the United Nations Democracy Fund, has been working since 2017 to build the skills of Syrian journalists in fostering inclusive and informed public dialogue on human rights, as well as ensuring the sustainability of independent Syrian media outlets. In particular, JHR trains media managers in developing sustainable business models and teaches journalists how to use data journalism and new technologies.