Nesrin on the move

Nesrin on the move

In: Beirut, Lebanon

Immigration status: A Palestinian refugee, born and raised in Lebanon. 

Role: Teacher working for UNWRA since 1989

Education level: Higher education

Nesrin's story: Nesrin was born, taught and now works as a headmistress in an UNRWA school in Ein Hilweh Camp in Southern Lebanon of 450 girls aged 6-16 years. All the children are all Palestine refugees from Lebanon and Syria. People in the Ein Hilweh Camp live in harsh conditions of socio-economic challenges and unstable security conditions where armed clashes and riots erupt many times a year.

She has witnessed stray bullets entering her class when teaching, armed clashes erupting while in school, with the school sometimes hit, and windows smashed. Such riots lead to students being evacuated to shelters, and even helped to escape outside of the camp to seek shelter elsewhere. Schools in the camp shut for several days during the school year. Nesrin herself had nightmares from her own childhood experiences until she was 40 years old, and now meets many children traumatized by the fighting. As with the other teachers in the camp, Nesrin faces numerous challenges helping the children to come back to school, providing psycho-social support for the children, and covering up for the teaching days lost. 

Follow Nesrin's journey as part of our #EducationOntheMove campaign.