Khalid is a 10-year-old boy, who came to Lebanon in 2015 with his family (parents, two brothers and one sister) desiring to find a better environment escaping from the war in Syria. They settled in Ghazze, in the Bekaa – Lebanon. Khalid comes from a disadvantaged family, his disabled father is unable to work, and Khaled is obligated to work every day from the stroke of dawn in agricultural fields to help his family and provide for their basic needs.

After Khalid was reached by the community liaison team at AVSI he got registered under the Basic Literacy and Numeracy activity just before the beginning of the Corona pandemic in 2020. At this point the Back to the Future Project started applying the Can’t wait to Learn remote learning, to maintain continuity in childrens’ learning during this hard time, when access to education is deeply compromised.

The ‘Can’t Wait to Learn’ Program, is part of Back to the future project, and it aims to explore alternative innovative ways of reaching marginalized and vulnerable children to traditional education methods. The project uses education technology as part of a model of education, which is offering certified curriculum level content trying to provide them the better quality of education in a different way.

Khalid has never previously attended school, neither did anyone of his family.

The distance learning has helped Khalid to develop and grow and gave him the excitement and motivation he needs to continue his studies, as well as the enthusiasm to apply his daily homework.

His mother Jana, who has to spend most of her time working, shared: “I am so happy, especially with the progress my son is attaining, and by the fact that he will be able to continue his studies and dream of a better future.”  

Back to the Future is funded by the European Union, through the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the EU Madad Fund, and implemented in partnership by AVSI, Terre des Hommes Italy in Lebanon and War Child Holland in Lebanon.