Opening of the school year for the children hosted at the Open Accommodation Centre “A Step Forward”, who returned to the classrooms on September 12th, together with their classmates. Among them were six of the eight children of Iman from Iraq, who started for the first time or continued their education in their respective grades, ranging from kindergarten to high school.
For Iman, enrolling the children in school has been a constant request since the beginning of the family’s accommodation at A Step Forward. “For me, it is very important that my children have the opportunity to go to school, an opportunity that I myself was denied. It’s important that they are involved in education and learning, and that they discover how to live their lives, to claim a good future.” With the help of the entire team of the Open Accommodation Center, the enrollment of the children in the school units was made possible.
Even the children themselves were very much looking forward to the start of the school year and were systematically preparing for it with the help of the teacher of the Open Accommodation Center. “Since the first day at school, we have all been very happy to be back with our classmates and teachers,” says the eldest daughter of the family, who is in the 6th grade – with the mother adding that for her, it seems very unusual that she suddenly has to spend so much time alone while the children are at school. “I take comfort, though, that the children are getting closer to their dreams.”
Iman’s children are already dreaming about their future and the profession they want to follow when they grow up. F. wants to be a doctor, K. wants to work in space science, Y. hopes to become a pilot, and the oldest, H., wants to drive a school bus so he can safely transport children to their school. We all wish them from the bottom of our hearts that their dreams come true and that they continue to face knowledge with the same endless enthusiasm.
The project “A step Forward” is implemented in the framework of the “Asylum and Migration” programme, implemented by Médecins du Monde. The “Asylum and Migration” programme, worth €16.5 million, is funded by the European Economic Area (EEA Grants) 2014 – 2021. The programme aspires to help ensure legal protection, support and care for the most vulnerable asylum seekers, with a focus on unaccompanied children. Fund operator for the Asylum and Migration Programme in Greece is SOL Crowe in partnership with HumanRights360. More information: https://www.asylumandmigration-eeagrants.gr
