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In the central Homs countryside city of Talbisseh, Syria, a quarter of the schools have been damaged or destroyed by years of conflict. Despite the widespread destruction, the local community has taken it upon themselves to rebuild their schools without waiting for external aid. This grassroots effort is reshaping the concept of recovery in a region where thousands of schools remain in desperate need of repair.
The destruction is visible throughout Talbisseh’s educational facilities. Salim, a fifth-grade student, struggles to write on a bare metal chair frame missing its seat, highlighting the basic deficiencies students face. Many schools have bathrooms that are mere hollow remnants, windows and doors have been broken or removed, desks and blackboards are missing, and some buildings show lasting structural damage. Out of 24 schools that existed before the conflict, only 18 are currently operating. Across Syria, there are approximately 6,383 schools requiring restoration, but just 797 have been rehabilitated so far.
Faced with these challenges, members of the community began mobilizing. Mustafa al-Daher, a blacksmith and father of five, became frustrated that his teenage sons would receive a compromised education and asked the community if they could take matters into their own hands. Nidal Al-Okaidi, a local activist, started documenting and sharing the schools’ conditions on social media, which sparked a quick and generous response. Volunteers, including carpenters, metalworkers, and laborers, united to contribute their skills freely. “Schools in my city were stripped of the most fundamental resources: windows, doors, desks and blackboards were missing,” explained Al-Okaidi. “Many buildings carried scars from the bombardment they endured, and children on their first school days were sitting on the ground. We had to do something.”
Among those involved is Ahmed Issa Al-Juma’a, a carpenter who returned to Talbisseh after the conflict lessened. He now dedicates much of his time to restoring furniture, doors, and windows for the schools, responding whenever called upon—even on holidays—despite not having school-aged children of his own yet. “I felt a responsibility towards the children of my town,” he said. Mustafa al-Daher contributes metalworking skills, repairing school doors, installing security grilles, and fabricating bathroom fixtures, sometimes bringing his own generator and staff at the expense of his private business. “When they call me to fix a school, I go directly,” he shared. “I’ve never let them down.”
The campaign’s impact has already been significant. Launched at the start of the school year and supported by local fundraising, more than £75,000 has been raised to support 13 schools, with the Ministry of Education providing additional resources such as 380 desks. Classrooms and bathrooms are being restored and outfitted with proper furniture, heating, and facilities. For Abdul Monim Al-Moayni, who owns a workshop, the motivation is personal as well as community-driven. Having once been discouraged from volunteering before the uprising, he now freely offers his time alongside his workers, many of whom donate labor despite financial struggles. His granddaughters, who studied in well-equipped Turkish schools, found the conditions in Talbisseh shocking and this has strengthened his determination to help. “I wanted to serve my country, to give something, even if it was small,” he said.
Reconstruction work in Talbisseh continues amid a vast national gap in school rehabilitation. Nevertheless, the residents show that recovery need not come solely from top-down interventions. Their combined efforts demonstrate that commitment, skill, and a belief in the importance of education can
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