Commissioned by More To Her Story, January 2025
A young girl runs for the school bus at the Triumphan Mercy educational centre to return to her home located in one of the informal camps in the Beka Valley. The educational centre was created to allow Syrian refugee children the chance to go to school and gain qualifications. They employed educated Syrian refugees to teach the children.
Hibba, 34, poses for a portrait in the educational centre she works in. Hibba harbours distrust toward the transition government and worries about the future her students — especially the girls — will face when they eventually return to Syria. “I was married when I was 13. I know the pressure and expectation put on girls in society to get married and become mothers. I don’t want that for my students.”
Safana poses in front of a tent in the tented settlement she lives in the Bekka Valley. “I hope that the girls I have been able to teach can continue their studies when they return to Syria and that girls can take their rights and live in peace,”
Kulthum, 24, poses for a portrait outside of the education centre she works in. She is turned away from the camera to protect her modesty. “God willing, I hope and pray that more people in Syria will have the chance to continue their studies,” she said. “I always tell the girls I teach, ‘You have a right to dream.’ Girls deserve more than just growing up, getting married, and having kids. They deserve to learn, to thrive, and to feel fulfilled.”
