Khadeja's Story

“I am the second child in my family. Before me, there was only my sister.”
“I am the second child in my family. Before me, there was only my sister.”
“I grew up and I started going to school….I studied hard all the time. I wanted to become someone good in the future.”
“I grew up and I started going to school….I studied hard all the time. I wanted to become someone good in the future.”
“When the crisis started in Syria, we thought that it was a temporary crisis and that it would go away. But the crisis became a war.”
“When the crisis started in Syria, we thought that it was a temporary crisis and that it would go away. But the crisis became a war.”
“We couldn’t take it anymore, there were intense airstrikes and death was in front of us. So we decided to pack our things and travel to Lebanon. We left behind our education and our families.”
“We couldn’t take it anymore, there were intense airstrikes and death was in front of us. So we decided to pack our things and travel to Lebanon. We left behind our education and our families.”  
“We tried to register in the Lebanese schools but we couldn’t. When we showed them our papers, they immediately rejected us and said that they don’t admit Syrians.”
“We tried to register in the Lebanese schools but we couldn’t. When we showed them our papers, they immediately rejected us and said that they don’t admit Syrians.”
“I started to stay at home, doing all of the housework. But all I thought about was education.”
“I started to stay at home, doing all of the housework. But all I thought about was education.”
“One day, people from an organization visited us. They wanted to admit us to a school so we can learn.”
“One day, people from an organization visited us. They wanted to admit us to a school so we can learn.”
“I started to go to the school but it is not an official one. It is a good thing that I am remembering and also learning new things…. But here, the diplomas are not official. You can study but at the end there is nothing.”
“I started to go to the school but it is not an official one. It is a good thing that I am remembering and also learning new things…. But here, the diplomas are not official. You can study but at the end there is nothing.”

Khadeja, 14, originally from Quneitra, holds up a book that she has written and illustrated detailing her experience trying to enroll in school in Lebanon:

Captions are from the Human Rights Watch interview with Khadeja and are not a translation of the text in pictures.

All images © 2015 Bassam Khawaja/Human Rights Watch