Springtime in Azraq

Dear AECF Supporters,

We hope that everyone is staying healthy, happy, and safe with their loved ones.

We’ve stayed busy in Azraq these last few months, providing daily distance learning to 290 Syrian students, distributing hundreds of essential food packages for families throughout the month of Ramadan, and gearing up for *we hope* in-person learning starting soon!

Read on for the latest updates from AECF!

Distance Learning:

Jordan saw a big spike in Covid cases this Spring and our brief attempt at in-person learning in February/March was unfortunately cut short as schools across the country were closed once again. We returned to distance learning, preparing and delivering worksheets and activities to 290 students every week, and following up daily via WhatsApp.

Even from home, we’ve formed new virtual clubs and committees that help keep kids stay organized and involved, including a reading club, journalism club, and environmental committee! Students have also started a monthly newsletter where they share original stories, poetry, art, and more!

Food Distributions:

Thanks to very generous donors, we were able to provide more than 400 food packages to families in need during the month of Ramadan. This year has been extremely challenging for our beneficiaries, with many fathers still out of work due to Covid restrictions and families falling even deeper into poverty. Many face immediate food insecurities and regular distributions help ease the burden they face. Each food package, valued at $35-$40 USD, includes bulk quantities of rice, oil, meat (whole chickens or lamb), bulgur, sugar, and more.

New Teen Program Planning:

This year, a major goal is recruiting and retaining new teenage students to The Azraq Center program, and the work has already begun! We’re working with partners to develop mentorship programs, a scholarship fund, and more that will help give high academic-achieving teens the opportunity to fulfill their higher education dreams.

Concurrently, we are also focused on students that are struggling or out of school, ensuring that every teen has core literacy and math skills, and gets the opportunity to gain experience through vocational trainings. Stay tuned for more teenage programming updates in the coming months!

In Case You Missed It….

Last month, we gathered with SYE Initiative to host an informative and solutions-based discussion on Syria and the Education Crisis: 10 Years On. If you missed the webinar, you can check it out in the video below!

What’s Next:

Even with our best efforts to keep each of our students engaged and on track this year, we know that many have fallen behind over the past 15 months of distance learning. Throughout this summer, we will focus on individual student assessments, checking each student’s level and providing enhancement classes and extra help to bring everyone back up to speed, in anticipation of in-person learning come fall.

Make sure to Follow Us On Instagram for the latest updates and as always, THANK YOU for your ongoing support! Everything we do is thanks to your generosity.

All our best,

The AECF team