Ebaa, 18 years-old, student and volunteer at Al Salam School.
“I arrived to Turkey 3 years ago, after having spent 6 months of not-doing-anything in Lebanon. Leaving Syria is the thing that has most affected me in life. I had always been a very shy kid but the hardships of war and migration weakened me even more. My life used to be stress and anxiety. That’s it. Until I arrived to Al Salam School.
This school has healed me and given me self-confidence. Our teachers are more than just teachers. They do all they can to make us feel supported. I can’t really explain it… For example, I love drawing – cartoons, people, anything that helps me express myself – and when the teachers saw my drawings they decided to hang all of them on the second floor’s wall which was very encouraging and meaningful to me.
Two months ago, I started volunteering here as a receptionist as a way of thanking them for what they gave me, and I got to learn even more from the school’s staff. My co-workers kept advising me, teaching me how to interact and deal with people. They made me strong and I will never thank them enough for this.”