A Bag, a Notebook, a Second Chance: 2,800 Orphans Supported by LIFE’s Back to School Program in Syria
- ajoyce140
- Jan 8
- 2 min read
When school-related expenses rise, and household resources shrink, the first losses are often small at first: a child staying home “for now,” a backpack that never gets replaced, a student who fades from the classroom before anyone can intervene. For orphaned children, the stakes are even higher because the safety net is thinner, and the setbacks accumulate faster.
School expenses are one of the first things to be dropped when families are on a budget, a factor that contributes to absenteeism and dropouts. Life for Relief and Development’s (LIFE) intervention was designed to ease that pressure at exactly the moment it peaks: the start of the school year.
LIFE carried out a Back-to-School program from July 1 to September 30, 2025, for orphaned children. Backpacks were prepared and categorized by educational level, ensuring children receive age-appropriate materials. Each school bag included essential items for classroom learning, like notebooks, pens, rulers, and geometry tools. The tools were aimed not only at reducing barriers to attendance but also at restoring children’s confidence and sense of belonging.
Over 2,800 orphaned children (1,441 girls and 1,359 boys) were reached across seven locations: Azaz, Afrin, Al-Bab, Maarrat Misrin, Harasta, Darayya, and Al-Zabadani. The largest concentrations were in Maarrat Misrin (799 children), Afrin (688), Al-Bab (662), and Azaz (484).
Tala, 12, had stopped attending school after her father’s death because her family could not afford supplies. Her mother recalled Tala asking every day when she could go back and having “no answer but silence.” After receiving a school bag and essentials through LIFE’s activity, Tala told her mother, “Today, I’ll go back just like them!” Her teacher later observed that Tala returned more engaged and cheerful, interacting with classmates with new enthusiasm.
What makes LIFE’s work significant is how directly it protects childhood. A school bag is not a cure for a country’s hardship, but it can be a turning point for a child on the verge of leaving school. LIFE’s donors and teams made thousands of those turning points possible in a single quarter, building something that lasts longer than a distribution day: the habit of learning, the restoration of confidence, and a future full of possibilities for these children.
