Zeltschule e.V.
We are a German initiative that builds tent schools (quite literally schools within the provisional refugee camps consisting of
thousands of tents) in Lebanon and outfits them with tent bakeries to ensure the chilldren have food.
In small Lebanon are between 500,000 and 700,000 Syrian children and adolescents (nobody knows the exact numbers), state
schools alone could never handle them even if the government was willing to do so - which it is not.
The majority of these children live 5 km or more away from the nearest school and walking there is dangerous. There is no public
transport in Lebanon (not even in the capital Beirut), but even if the government were willing to buy and use extra buses to pick up
Syrian children in the camps, many camps cannot even be reached by car (because of bad or non-existent roads), not to mention
busses.
The camps are often home to older children, 10 years and older, who have never been to school, can neither read nor write.
Including them in a “normal” school (in an age-appropriate class) without providing them with individualized care is not possible.
Moreover, schools can only be attended if the children do not have to work in the fields to feed their families (adult Syrian refugees
have no work permission in Lebanon). To enable the refugee children to attend school, it is therefore not enough to simply provide
them with a school place. Rather, their families need regular food and medical care. To provide the families with food we also build
bakeries in the camps (tent bakeries) where several hundred breads are made daily and distributed among the refugees).
This is what we do: we bring schools to the camps the children live in and while they can finally return to their education we provide
food and water for the entire camp.
thousands of tents) in Lebanon and outfits them with tent bakeries to ensure the chilldren have food.
In small Lebanon are between 500,000 and 700,000 Syrian children and adolescents (nobody knows the exact numbers), state
schools alone could never handle them even if the government was willing to do so - which it is not.
The majority of these children live 5 km or more away from the nearest school and walking there is dangerous. There is no public
transport in Lebanon (not even in the capital Beirut), but even if the government were willing to buy and use extra buses to pick up
Syrian children in the camps, many camps cannot even be reached by car (because of bad or non-existent roads), not to mention
busses.
The camps are often home to older children, 10 years and older, who have never been to school, can neither read nor write.
Including them in a “normal” school (in an age-appropriate class) without providing them with individualized care is not possible.
Moreover, schools can only be attended if the children do not have to work in the fields to feed their families (adult Syrian refugees
have no work permission in Lebanon). To enable the refugee children to attend school, it is therefore not enough to simply provide
them with a school place. Rather, their families need regular food and medical care. To provide the families with food we also build
bakeries in the camps (tent bakeries) where several hundred breads are made daily and distributed among the refugees).
This is what we do: we bring schools to the camps the children live in and while they can finally return to their education we provide
food and water for the entire camp.
