The 2021 Nazarene Compassionate Ministries Christmas Project supports children caught in crisis.

All over the world, children are caught in economic crises, famines, conflict, and more. More than 80 million people around the world have been forcibly displaced from their homes as a result of persecution, conflict, and violence. Of those who are displaced, more than a third are children. 

This year’s Christmas Project will provide spiritual, educational, physical, and emotional care to children who are caught up in crises in Bangladesh, Venezuela, Jordan, Lebanon, and across Europe. 

Each week, we will highlight stories from each of these regions.

Today, read about a Nazarene school in Jordan that has created a safe space for children living as refugees to continue their education. Students with multiple vulnerabilities benefit from the school’s commitment to establish a place for children to heal as they continue to learn.

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Samira’s Story

Samira*, a fifth grader living in Jordan, is defying the odds stacked against children living as refugees. For many children who are displaced, it’s common to miss months and years of school as they move from place to place, lack the funds to pay for school fees, or struggle to establish the residency required to attend classes. Add to this any other vulnerabilities—poverty, language barriers, disabilities—and children like Samira end up facing overwhelming obstacles.

Samira and the other children from her home country, Syria, have also witnessed violence and warfare. Even if they are able to attend public schools, students often struggle when they lack trauma-informed care. At her Nazarene school in Jordan, Samira receives both education and resources to begin to heal and grow.

Children aren’t the only ones involved at the Nazarene school—Samira’s parents sometimes attend classes, too. Neither Samira’s mother or father can read or write. The school invites parents of students to share in the education of their children by teaching art or accompanying the class to a museum.

In Jordan, it is difficult for adults living there as refugees to work legally. Samira’s family has shelter in the basement of a house, but it lacks access to the internet. During COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Samira sat outside to connect with her class online, sometimes weathering cold and inclement weather to do so. But she was committed to attending the daily classes and chapel; she mastered the new technology used by the school and then taught her younger brother how to use it.

At the Nazarene school in Jordan, Samira finds a safe and welcoming space to pursue her passion for learning. The open arms of the staff at the school help Samira overcome the barriers that might otherwise delay her education.

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*Children’s names are changed for safety. 

Learn more about how you can support the Christmas Project.