Education helps young refugees in Jordan cope with exile and the past

December 15, 2009

Dear Educator,

Omar endured some hard and painful lessons about life at an early age. Now, the 13-year-old refugee is learning positive things at a school in the Jordanian capital, Amman, three years after fleeing Iraq with his five siblings.

A naturally shy boy, Omar's life started coming apart when his father, a policeman in Baghdad, was shot dead by militiamen. He remembers the news of his father's death coming as a great shock. "At that moment, we knew that staying in Baghdad was no longer possible," the boy recalled.

After fleeing to Jordan, Omar enrolled in a primary school in eastern Amman in mid-2009, but because he had missed two years of schooling, he has had to start at a lower grade. He does not mind; for the first time in three years, he has something to feel good about.

"I could not be happier to be in school; I finally get a chance to learn and study," he said proudly. "Without a doubt, my favourite class is Arabic; the teacher instructs us really well and, thanks to my uncle's help, Arabic is also quite easy," the smiling boy added.

Read more of Omar's story.

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Iraqi refugee Omar stands at the door of his humble home in Amman after a busy school day.
UNHCR/D. Bajjali