Our Reponse to Covid-19 and Recent Updates from The Azraq Center
Dear TSF Supporters,
Like so many around the world, The Syria Fund is dealing with the immediate impact that the Coronavirus Pandemic is having on our community in Jordan. Last week, the Jordanian government effectively locked down the entire country to prevent the further spread of the virus. This means that our program, The Azraq Center, is closed until further notice.
Families across Jordan are required to stay at home and even trips to the supermarket or pharmacy are not allowed. We are continuing to support our entire program staff during this time and we are coordinating closely with our local partner and the Azraq Municipality to begin immediate food distributions to some of the most vulnerable families we serve. We will also be working closely with our teachers to create virtual activities and support at-home learning to keep our students active and engaged.
At this time, we are asking for donations of $30 to provide an essential food box to a family in need. The Food Box will include: filtered water, oil, flour, rice, beans, sugar, and milk. We aim to begin distributions, in coordination with local government officials, in the next week.
IN NON-COVID-19 RELATED NEWS
We thought it might be good to talk about something OTHER than Coronavirus and update you on some of the great activities we began implementing prior to this unscheduled interruption!
A Second Class of Montessori-Inspired Pre-K
As you know, in September of last year, we launched a Montessori-inspired Early Education Room with the Blossom Hill Foundation, the first such program in Azraq. The program has been a tremendous success and there is a long wait list. This February, we expanded our partnership to add a second class of 3-5 year old students at our Early Education Room! The program now hosts 60 total children and 6 teachers across two classes, bringing innovative education and learning opportunities to our littlest students!
Test Prep for Teens
The Azraq Center is dedicated to helping students succeed in the classroom, and ultimately graduate high school. We are very proud that this semester, we launched the first and only Test Prep class in Azraq for teenagers studying for the Jordanian High School Exit Exam, the Tawjihi!
High School graduation and Tawjihi pass rates are extremely low in Azraq. In fact, in past years the pass rate for Tawjihi was in the single digits for Syrian students. We’re working to change that statistic. Before our program started, students had to travel more than 45 minutes to access a test prep class, which isn’t feasible for most. Our first cohort of 25 teenage girls join us 3 days per week for intensive study in the key subjects of Arabic, English, and Math!
Women’s Literacy
Finally, last month we opened our first women’s literacy class. We received a lot of requests from mothers and other women in the community to help them achieve critical reading and writing skills. Many older women in Azraq, both Syrian and Jordanian, didn’t go to school when they were young or dropped out in grade school. Many have lived their whole lives completely illiterate. Our literacy class is a safe and welcoming space where women (some as old as 65!) can learn to read and write, and have fun while learning!
We appreciate your support during this stressful time! We are coming together as a Global Community to fight the virus and we are focused on continuing to support our community and respond to their pressing needs.
Wishing you good health, safety, and as always, sending our gratitude.
Best,
The Syria Fund team