1,231,122 girl refugees / 1,550,000 girl idps

The nearly eight-year Syrian war has robbed millions of innocent people caught in the middle, claiming family and loved ones, home, stability— and hope for a future they can shape as their own. A path to such a future starts in the classroom, but nearly 3 million Syrian children, particularly girls, are missing out on their education. Syrian girls often are married off early as parents seek to protect them, but child marriage routinely and abruptly removes girls from the classroom. Schools lay in rubble across Syria. And, struggling to make ends meet far from home, displaced families often pull their daughters out of school to earn money for food and rent. Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school in conflict-affected countries than their counterparts in conflict-free countries, according to UN Women.

Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school in conflict-affected countries than their counterparts in conflict-free countries.

After relentless bombing and displacement in Syria, Marwa and her family fled the country for Jordan, where her mother couldn’t earn enough to support the family. That meant Marwa went to work too, instead of to school. (Read and watch her story to see how things have turned out). Similarly, intense bombing forced 15-year-old Walaa and her family from their home. But displacement hasn’t deterred Walaa from pursuing her dreams. She is back in school in Jordan, where science is her favorite subject. And thanks to a film school in the camp where she lives, Walaa is getting to pursue her dream of becoming a filmmaker. She already has produced a film called “The Little Engineer,” which depicts the bond between her father and younger brother, who team up to fix electronics and run a coffee shop. Through film, she wants to lift up more Syrian voices. “One day I will talk about the situation of Syrian refugees,” she says. “It will take time for life in Syria to become normal again. That is what I want to talk about. I have always believed in one thing: If you have a dream and you work hard enough, you can certainly achieve it.”

Read Walaa's story.

Read Marwa's story.

Raneem and Laila

Malalai and Aimée, Farahnaz and Dylan

Read the Letters