The after-school project is aimed at 120 children aged 6 to 12, is part of the Syria Emergency Programme and is fully funded by “Kindermissionswerk, Die Sternsinger”: the child welfare organisation of the German Catholic Church.
Banyas is a city on the coast of Syria, halfway between Tartus and Lattakia and since 2012 many internally displaced people, having lost everything due to the war, have found refuge here , with the consequent overcrowding of the area. For example, schools have reached classes with 50 students, creating an atmosphere that makes teaching and learning difficult. The Baynas after-school program was created to support the academic performance of children , accompanying primary school students with courses in Arabic, mathematics, science, English, ethics that follow the program of Syrian public schools. With the restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the Coronavirus and the closure of the after-school program, the operators wanted to maintain constant contact with the children through the telephone and the Internet (for those who can connect), and they managed to organize moments of distribution of educational material to continue the school path even at home . Continuing to be present for the children during this period was fundamental especially on a psychological level. During the restrictions, in fact, many children felt the tension of their parents who live on occasional sources of income and tied to day jobs that were interrupted during the quarantine. The hope of these weeks is that with the slowdown of infections and the easing of restrictions, some of the activities planned for the summer can be carried out.
