“Do you take children who don’t have any papers?”
A father in the distance shouted this question to me
recently as I was visiting one of the Dom (gypsy) and Bedouin communities in South
Lebanon. I was there to touch base with
families we serve at the New Horizons Center and identify potential new
students for the literacy program this year. Our goal is to provide education to children
who have no other opportunities for structured learning, children who for a
myriad of reasons have never realized the privilege and the right to attend
school. One reason some kids may never be able to attend school is because of statelessness. Those who do not have
identification papers (birth certificate, passport, family documentation, etc.)
are barred from enrolling in public school, and they are rarely able to financially
cover the cost of private school. They even oftentimes fail to qualify for the informal leaning programs now operating throughout Lebanon. Education is a possibility for children of the Dom and Bedouin, but it is an impossibility if children do not possess any form of official identity.
“Yes! It is not a problem,” I responded to the man.
“Come visit my home before you leave.” Upon that invitation I made my way to the father's home and met with his family and his 7 year old son who has no papers to prove that he is indeed seven years old or that he is anyone.
I explained what we do at the New Horizons Center, how our programs runs
and why we want help children gain literacy.
I let them know it is exactly because of children like this 7 year old that our
literacy program exists. This was
encouraging to them, and it encourages us to remain committed to Lebanon’s marginalized
and the vulnerable. We can’t meet all of
the needs of everyone, but hopefully we can meet a major need of a few special
lives, especially if they don't have papers.
