BBCTarek, 10, from Gaza, and 14, from Sudan, live about 2000 km from each other. They never met, but share the harsh reality – the war stole their education.
“When I saw my school in ruins, deep sadness overwhelmed me. I long for her to come back to what was before,” says Tarek BBC from Gaza.
“Despite everything, I did not stop studying. I study at home, making sure you don’t spend a minute, so when I go back to school, I will be ready,” he adds.
In Sudan, Safa dreams of becoming a hearth. “I still keep hope,” she says, but she has traumatic memories of the country’s civil war.
“The bodies were scattered everywhere, which deeply moved me and made me want to save my life, and not see them lost.”
Tarek and Safaa are among the 30 million children who, according to the UNSEF Children’s Agency, study at the School in the Middle East and North Africa. It is estimated that more than half are 16.5 million in Sudan.
In response, the BBC World Service launched an Arab edition of its Dars’s educational program – or lesson.
Last year, the newspaper “More than 600,000 children – all school children in Gaza – did not receive education,” – says Pelei Owiece, UNICEF press.
“We see a model of how conflicts, uncertainty and crises cause real damage to children’s education and learning,” he adds.
In Sudan, almost two years after the civil war breeding between the army and the rapid support forces, millions of children live in refugee camps, where education is available only through local initiatives.
In an interview with the BBC, Sudan’s Education Minister Ahmed Khalifa emphasizes the scale of destruction.
“No state spared,” he says. “In Sudan, about 15,000 public schools. 60% to 70% of these schools were completely damaged by losing the foundations, infrastructure and books.
“Even in the safe states of the school, they have been detrimental to the systematic destruction of militias.”
Dars was first launched in 2023 for children in Afghanistan, including girls banned in high school, and the United Nations described it as “training” for children who cannot attend classes.
Designed for children between the ages of 11 and 16, Arabic Dars has weekly lessons in a number of subjects, including math, technology, climate and mental health.
It also presents the stories of children, such as Tarek and Safaa, which, despite war and other obstacles, are still determined to study.
The first episode aired on Sunday, February 9 on the Arab television BBC News. New episodes are spent weekly weekly on Sundays at 05:30 GMT (07:30 EET), with repetitions at 10:05 GMT (12:05 EET) and within a week.
The program is also available on digital platforms, including BBC News Arabic YouTube, as well as Radio Services Lifeline in Gaza and Syria.
