The Layla Alattar Education Fund
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The Layla Alattar memorial fundraising campaign for the education of Iraqi children living in Jordan.
What:
The Layla Alattar memorial fund is for the education of Iraqi children who have been displaced by years of unrest in their homeland and have fled to the safety of Jordan for a life without war.
Who:
Layla Alattar was one of Iraq’s most respected and influential female artists, director of the Iraqi National Museum of Art, and a believer in the advocacy of education and peace for all – especially women. Alattar’s work specialized in the inner world of women. At the time of her premature death as the result of a stray missile in Baghdad, Layla was revered in Iraq, much the same as Rockwell was in the US. She was an artist, an educator, a believer in women, and an advocate of peace.
Where:
With Lebanon and Jordan housing the greatest number of displaced people and refugees in the Middle East, the toll on the governments and aid organizations makes it impossible to keep up. Whilst these two countries house and educate millions of refugees, the sad truth is that many, many children remain out of reach of an education due to poverty and the long term status of life as a refugee. Having fled without resources, and unable to work and earn an income as a refugee, many displaced families struggle to have the basics.
The enormous financial strain of maintaining such large numbers of displaced people, for an indefinite and long term period, is one that cannot be borne by the governments of Jordan and Lebanon alone.
The purpose of this fund is NOT to be involved in any political or religious agenda, but purely for the purpose of providing funding for education of Iraqi refugee children currently living in Jordan who are without the funds to access an education.
Why:
For displaced families, food and medicine take priority. Only after that does education come into the picture. Due to the lack of funds, many families must choose the most essential for survival over education. This results in hundreds and sometimes thousands of refugee children for whom an education is out of reach. Without education, these children are severely disadvantaged to be able to build a better future for themselves. They will fall into a cycle of people without education, struggling to find a way out of poverty. With the United Nations declaring refugees will remain refugees for an average of 17 years, the best way to move forward and the hope these children need, comes through an education.
The need for a basic education for children is critical for their future, for the future of their families, and for the future of the world around them. Education opens doors, it encourages thinking, and it empowers. A lack of education in the current generation and that of the following only serves to create a lost generation of children – young lives without hope, desire, or ambition. It opens the door to expose their vulnerability to those who will prey upon their weaknesses.
We must educate children to give them an opportunity for a bright and happy future. This fund has one goal in mind, to educate children currently cared for by the Benevolent Hands program in Jordan in an effort to help them strive for a happy, safe, and peaceful future. A future in which there is hope to break out of life as a refugee.
How:
In Jordan, the cost for a public school education for one child, including books, is approximately 150 US dollars per year. The reality is, however, that many families just don’t have that small amount of money.
All travel expenses and administration is undertaken by volunteers who self-fund, ensuring one hundred percent of funds raised go to the education of these children – giving them hope for the future.
What:
The Layla Alattar memorial fund is for the education of Iraqi children who have been displaced by years of unrest in their homeland and have fled to the safety of Jordan for a life without war.
Who:
Layla Alattar was one of Iraq’s most respected and influential female artists, director of the Iraqi National Museum of Art, and a believer in the advocacy of education and peace for all – especially women. Alattar’s work specialized in the inner world of women. At the time of her premature death as the result of a stray missile in Baghdad, Layla was revered in Iraq, much the same as Rockwell was in the US. She was an artist, an educator, a believer in women, and an advocate of peace.
Where:
With Lebanon and Jordan housing the greatest number of displaced people and refugees in the Middle East, the toll on the governments and aid organizations makes it impossible to keep up. Whilst these two countries house and educate millions of refugees, the sad truth is that many, many children remain out of reach of an education due to poverty and the long term status of life as a refugee. Having fled without resources, and unable to work and earn an income as a refugee, many displaced families struggle to have the basics.
The enormous financial strain of maintaining such large numbers of displaced people, for an indefinite and long term period, is one that cannot be borne by the governments of Jordan and Lebanon alone.
The purpose of this fund is NOT to be involved in any political or religious agenda, but purely for the purpose of providing funding for education of Iraqi refugee children currently living in Jordan who are without the funds to access an education.
Why:
For displaced families, food and medicine take priority. Only after that does education come into the picture. Due to the lack of funds, many families must choose the most essential for survival over education. This results in hundreds and sometimes thousands of refugee children for whom an education is out of reach. Without education, these children are severely disadvantaged to be able to build a better future for themselves. They will fall into a cycle of people without education, struggling to find a way out of poverty. With the United Nations declaring refugees will remain refugees for an average of 17 years, the best way to move forward and the hope these children need, comes through an education.
The need for a basic education for children is critical for their future, for the future of their families, and for the future of the world around them. Education opens doors, it encourages thinking, and it empowers. A lack of education in the current generation and that of the following only serves to create a lost generation of children – young lives without hope, desire, or ambition. It opens the door to expose their vulnerability to those who will prey upon their weaknesses.
We must educate children to give them an opportunity for a bright and happy future. This fund has one goal in mind, to educate children currently cared for by the Benevolent Hands program in Jordan in an effort to help them strive for a happy, safe, and peaceful future. A future in which there is hope to break out of life as a refugee.
How:
In Jordan, the cost for a public school education for one child, including books, is approximately 150 US dollars per year. The reality is, however, that many families just don’t have that small amount of money.
All travel expenses and administration is undertaken by volunteers who self-fund, ensuring one hundred percent of funds raised go to the education of these children – giving them hope for the future.
Organizer
Reema Ameer Shakir
Organizer
Bethesda, MD
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