Elyas’s Story: His First Real Chance to Learn
Elyas was six when he left Gaza, with one month of kindergarten behind him. In FAJR Global’s Education Program in Egypt, he learned to read and make friends.
Pictured
Teacher in a white headscarf standing with a class of children in a Cairo classroom
FAJR’s leadership on Our TeamElyas was six years old when he left Gaza, and he had almost no experience of school. Before the war cut off his access to learning, he had attended kindergarten for just one month.
Joining FAJR Global’s Education Program in Egypt was a turning point. From the program’s early days, he received steady classroom support and the chance to build the basics he had missed.
With daily follow-up, Elyas learned to read and do basic math. He also became more engaged with his classmates, made friends more easily and formed a strong bond with his classroom and his teacher, Ms. Noha.
His mother noticed another change. Elyas began to look forward to school so much that he would cry whenever he had to miss even one day.
For a child who had barely seen the inside of a classroom, school became more than reading and counting. It became a routine, a connection and a place where he belongs.
Read about the School for Palestinian Children in Cairo and the Egypt Schools Project.
