Creativity and connection fuel healing for refugee kids in Jordan
Creativity and connection fuel healing for refugee kids in Jordan October 5, 2023 Emily Klooster Jordan Our goals: Promoting peace...
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No matter the challenge, no child is overlooked by Principal Dawlat Hijazeen and her team.
Dawlat Hijazeen wears many hats, among them mom of five, teacher, principal, counselor, and bus driver.
“Thank God my children are in college now,” she says, only half joking, as she finally sits down for our virtual interview; the sun has already set in Jordan.
Tomorrow she’ll begin again. Dawlat starts her day driving Iraqi students to the school where she is principal – Marka Education Center in Amman, Jordan. There, she and her team meet the specific needs of the Iraqi population displaced by ISIS in northern Iraq. After shifting gears from driver to principal, she readies herself for another day of challenging work meeting children at their level in school.
At Marka, each child needs a customized approach.
“We deal with each individual kid because they come with different attitudes, different stories,” she says. “Each child needs to be dealt with in a different way.”
When school is dismissed, Dawlat shifts into another role as counselor. She and her team conduct home visits with school families, especially those whose children are dealing with mental health challenges at school.
“We can go deeper with visits to their families to find ways to first heal the family, and second, help them deal with their kids,” Dawlat said. “The challenge is on more than one level – the kids themselves, kids with other kids, and kids with their families.”
The energy to continue.
What keeps Dawlat going is passion. Iraqi students are a part of her life, she says, her personal mission and ministry. “This passion I have grows when I go deeper into knowing the students, and seeing how they need to learn the value of life again,” she said. “The hard times they went through in Iraq, and then when they first arrived in Jordan… they deserve to have a better life, they deserve to have the same life as our kids do, going to school and having their basic needs met.”
The team at Marka experience small successes every day, progress made, something that brings Dawlat satisfaction and gratitude in her job. She shared a story about a 12-year-old Iraqi student named Azal who stutters when he speaks. “He had a hard time dealing with people, and he was shy,” she said. “He didn’t want to participate in anything, and kids were making jokes about how he spoke. He had a hard time being a ‘normal kid’ at school.”
Azal’s story.
Dawlat sat with Azal’s mom and the two discussed developing patience with Azal. “I encouraged her to listen to him, not always being in a hurry or even cutting him off,” Dawlat said. “Try to make eye contact with him and show him: ‘What you are saying, it matters to me.’ This needs to start at home.”
At school, staff at Marka met with Azal one on one, and Dawlat spoke with his teacher, asking her to be proactive in giving Azal the attention he needs and encouraging his participation.
“I wanted her to understand that ignoring him or thinking that you don’t want him to participate because of potential for bullying will not help him,” Dawlat said. “This opened our eyes to do a session with the students about accepting differences. ‘You can’t do this to friends who are not like you’ was the message, though we made it helpful and encouraging.”
Dawlat reports that Azal is now exhibiting a strong personality and is even able to pray aloud in class. He has a newfound confidence in himself, and began raising his hand and offering answers in class. His grades are better, and he is reaching out to new friends.
When Dawlat gives Azal a ride home from school, she offers him practice by asking him to share about his day. “Not every day, because I don’t want him to feel targeted,” she laughed. “But a few days in a row I’ll do it, sometimes just he and I, other times in front of friends. When it’s only the two of us left in the car, I tell him, ‘Tomorrow I want you to tell me about the things you’ve learned, and the things you would like to learn.'”
“Circle of hope”
Dawlat is grateful for what she considers to be a cohesive circle of hope at Marka Education Center and Marka Church, the entity behind the school.
“We are like a circle, we complete each other,” she said. “After home visits from teachers, the church is following up with the same families to bring healing [after displacement]. They are offering marriage counseling, small groups, Bible study, to make families whole again. Not just in a general way, but in a Christian way. They help with any personal struggle they might have as a family. We all work together.”
Read more stories from Marka: here are Patrick’s story and Ramen’s story on the TSI blog. Year-end 2024’s Not Forgotten campaign will deliver safe schools to displaced children in Jordan. Join us by giving today!
Azal in class at Marka Education Center
Marka Education Center in Amman, Jordan
"This passion I have grows when I go deeper into knowing the students, and seeing how they need to learn the value of life again. The hard times they went through in Iraq, and then when they first arrived in Jordan... they deserve to have a better life, they deserve to have the same life as our kids do, going to school and having their basic needs met."
- Dawlat Hijazeen
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