Motherhood: A wish for her children

Since fleeing Syria over two years ago, Um Abdel-Aziz has been living in Irbid, Jordan with with her two daughters: Hiam and Rawan, and three sons: Abdel-Aziz, Ahmad and Aboudeh. Her husband, Mohamed, began working in Kuwait as a car mechanic before the rest of the family left Syria, to earn the income needed to provide for their basic needs. With no end in sight to the Syrian conflict Um Abdel-Aziz hopes that one day she and the children will be able to join her husband in Kuwait. Before they left Syria, the family were on the move regularly to escape the fighting. They did not realise that returning home would be impossible, even after two years of waiting.

“We used to think the crisis would end in no time, but it actually grew bigger and bigger” explained Um Abdel-Aziz.

Moving around so much meant that for over a year, the children’s education was intermittent, something Um Abdel-Aziz regrets, “there’s nothing I can do about it," she says. "But, I do hope they will be able to continue their education now for good.”

Um Abdel-Aziz never finished school herself, dropping out after the ninth grade. Nevertheless, she is adamant that her children get an education.

School in Jordan

In Irbid, Um Abdel-Aziz’s school-aged children are in school. Hiam, 14, is particularly fond of school. During the summer break she told her mother she was bored without it and wished she could sleep at school. Her favourite subject is English.

While the Jordanian curriculum is no more challenging than Syria’s, there are new subjects, like computers and practical science that are new to many Syrian refugees, like Hiam and her siblings, putting Syrian refugee children behind many of their Jordanian peers. To help with this situation, World Vision provides catch-up classes for refugee children, so that they won’t fall behind in their Jordanian schools.

“Conducting this type of remedial education for Syrian refugees allows you to see the beauty of teaching, the beauty in giving the student what no one can take from him, the beauty of giving him a passport for future,” said Mayadah Qashou, coordinator of the project.

A mother’s wish

Um Abdel-Aziz plays the role of a mother and father for her children. “The responsibility I have is tough, the father plays a big role backing up a mother. Thanks to God I am able to carry such responsibility, but the children can feel his absence,” she says. Her wish for her children is to have the very best in their life and to have anything they ask for, “I just want to fulfill their dreams and wishes.”