[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ background_color=”#282828″ disabled_on=”off|off|” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_image=”http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2019\/03\/RF2201073_111118_HMF3974.jpg” module_class=”fullheight-section video_align_bottom” disabled=”off” next_background_color=”#ffffff”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.51″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”intro” background_layout=”dark” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ header_font_size=”70px” header_font_size_tablet=”28px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
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brothers<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|desktop” custom_padding=”10px|||” prev_background_color=”#282828″ next_background_color=”#424242″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”0px||0px|” background_position_1=”top_left” background_position_2=”top_left” background_repeat_1=”no-repeat” background_repeat_2=”no-repeat” _builder_version=”3.0.50″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”caption” module_class=”caption” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ text_font_size=”12px”]<\/p>\n
Syrian refugees Mohammad, 11, and Rayan, 6, at their school in Jordan. Overcrowding and cold classrooms in the winter have made it hard for the brothers to learn. \u00a9UNHCR\/Hannah Maule-ffinch<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.89″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” module_alignment=”center” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”800″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.17.6″]<\/p>\n
Eleven-year-old Mohammad remembers the school he once attended in Daraa, Syria.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt had a nice playground, with lots of plants and grass,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n
He was in kindergarten at the time. Mohammad lived with his mother, father and five siblings in their family home.<\/p>\n
He doesn\u2019t recall the day they had to flee their home to escape the approaching violence \u2013 it was in 2013, and he was only six years old. His brother, Rayan, was still a baby.<\/p>\n
His family crossed the border into Jordan and made their way to Za\u2019atari refugee camp, where they stayed for three months before relocating to Ramtha, a town near Irbid.<\/p>\n
The elementary school Mohammad and Rayan attend is severely overcrowded and deteriorating. Originally designed for a maximum of 500 students, the influx of Syrian refugees has grown the student body to more than 1,100. That means that as many as 55 students in rooms built to accommodate 30.<\/p>\n
Overcrowding also has serious implications for the school\u2019s utilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main challenges are the school\u2019s water and sanitation facilities, furniture and especially the electrical and heating systems,\u201d says Mahmoud Al-Khateeb, the school\u2019s principal. \u201cThere are huge pressures to the school from so many students \u2013 the maintenance and facilities can\u2019t keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the challenges of their school, Mohammad and Rayan make the best of every day. Mohammad\u2019s favorite subject is English, while Rayan enjoys Arabic.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren need to go to school and finish their education,\u201d Mohammad says. \u201cSchool should be about teamwork, partnership and working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ specialty=”off” _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_color=”#424242″ module_id=”fullseries” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” global_module=”2726″][et_pb_row global_parent=”2726″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text global_parent=”2726″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ background_layout=”dark”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row global_parent=”2726″ background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb global_parent=”2726″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ title=”Chantal, the businesswoman” image=”http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2019\/03\/RF2140354__HMF6812-small.jpg” background_color=”#000000″ background_layout=”dark” animation=”off” custom_css_blurb_title=”margin-left: 20px;|| margin-right: 20px;|| font-size: 22px;” border_color_all=”#ffffff” header_text_align=”left” body_text_align=”left” border_width=”0″ module_alignment=”left” url=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/chantal-the-businesswoman\/” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb global_parent=”2726″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ title=”Sarah, the pregnant mother” image=”http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2019\/03\/RF2140437__HMF8191-small.jpg” background_color=”#000000″ background_layout=”dark” animation=”off” custom_css_blurb_title=”margin-left: 20px;|| margin-right: 20px;|| font-size: 22px;” border_color_all=”#ffffff” header_text_align=”left” body_text_align=”left” use_border_color=”on” border_width=”0″ module_alignment=”left” url=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/sarah-the-pregnant-mother\/” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb global_parent=”2726″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ title=”Mohammad and Rayan, brothers” image=”http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2019\/03\/RF2201074_111118_HMF3979.jpg” background_color=”#000000″ background_layout=”dark” animation=”off” custom_css_blurb_title=”margin-left: 20px;|| margin-right: 20px;|| font-size: 22px;” border_color_all=”#ffffff” url=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/mohammad-and-rayan-brothers\/” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb global_parent=”2726″ _builder_version=”3.17.6″ title=”Hajar, the grandmother” image=”http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/72\/2019\/03\/RF2204202_121118121118_HMF4453.jpg” background_color=”#000000″ background_layout=”dark” animation=”off” custom_css_blurb_title=”margin-left: 20px;|| margin-right: 20px;|| font-size: 22px;” border_color_all=”#ffffff” url=”https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/hajar-the-grandmother\/” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 Mohammad and Rayan brothers Syrian refugees Mohammad, 11, and Rayan, 6, at their school in Jordan. Overcrowding and cold classrooms in the winter have made it hard for the brothers to learn. \u00a9UNHCR\/Hannah Maule-ffinch Eleven-year-old Mohammad remembers the school he once attended in Daraa, Syria. \u201cIt had a nice playground, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2593","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2593"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2593\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3170,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2593\/revisions\/3170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/renewableenergy4refugees\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}