Sunday, December 15th. While students from various cities and villages across Syria packed their bags in preparation for their first day of school after the fall of Assad, Ali was gearing up for a long day at work. His workshop awaited him, where he would spend hours of his day surrounded by tools and engines.
At 14 years old, Ali has been working in this car repair shop for the past two years. He is not from Jandaris, a town near Aleppo, but rather, his family had fled from Idlib in search of safety. His father found refuge in Jandaris, hoping to shield his children from the brutal airstrikes that devastated their hometown.
Yet, the town itself wasn’t spared from the destruction. The devastating earthquake that struck Syria in February 2023 left the area in ruins. Many lives were lost, homes collapsed, and what was left behind was a tragedy that impacted even those who survived.
Ali’s story is shared by nearly 2.5 million other children across the country, who are living outside the school walls in a war-torn land. These children, like Ali, have known nothing but the life of displacement and survival. Some have never set foot in a classroom, and many, including Ali, do not even know how to read or write. Ali’s father shared that his son dreams of returning to school one day, aspiring to become a mechanical engineer.
In a country where six million children have been born into conflict, and where more than 7,000 schools have been destroyed or repurposed as shelters, education remains a distant dream for many.
“My heart bleeds every time I see children heading to school,” Ali says, as he watches students on their way to classes while he heads to work. He continues, “I was forced to leave school because of the war. I lost my chance to go to school and now work to help my family.”
Ali works nearly 12 hours a day, six days a week, earning less than 10 dollars a day. His father believes that this is a decent allowance, but what matters more to him is that Ali now has a trade. “At least now my son has a craft,” he tells us.
During lunch breaks, Ali spends time with his parents and enjoys a simple meal: a cup of fava beans. Ali is not the only one working—his father also has two other sons working in different trades, one selling sweets and the other as a barber.
While his father understands Ali’s longing to return to school, he believes that learning a trade will ensure his son’s future. “He could open his own shop one day, and if not, he has a craft. That’s better than nothing,” says Ali’s father.
As Ali heads back to the workshop after lunch, he continues to repair engines and tackle difficult tasks, determined to make the most of his circumstances.
Ali doesn’t have much time to play. He gets back home around 9:00 AM, eats lunch, and sleeps. He told us that sometimes, if he’s lucky enough, he can see his friends during the week, but usually, he can’t—only on his one day off each week.
Ali, despite the dangers and challenges he faces daily, dreams of a future that includes both a trade and an education. Until that day comes, he will continue to work in the car repair shop—his “second school”—where he learns not only how to fix engines but also how to survive in a country ravaged by war.
Ali’s story is one of thousands across Syria, where children continue to bear the weight of war. Many, like him, have had to leave school behind to contribute to their families’ survival. Yet, despite the hardships, there remains a flicker of hope that one day, things will change, and these children will have the opportunity to pursue the education they deserve.
Built with Shorthand