Space for Smiles
3/8/2022 - From the Team
Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!
That’s what those eager eyes, bright smiles, and waving hands were saying. So many children, just a few teachers, not enough space. This was the state of our English Corner program every time. We always had to pick the first few hundred and turn away the rest.
After months of social distancing, this memory of hundreds of children gathering around seems so distant and surreal. But even so, it brings a smile to my face. Remembering that sea of happy faces, dancing and singing about hope– it’s so precious. And I’m grateful for the opportunities our team has had to squish and crowd together with these little ones.
I remember one time, we borrowed a few small rooms to run English Corner. Space was limited so we only let in registered students who had a Habibi name badge. The other side of the gate was populated with children who had to be turned away.
Over the next few days, counterfeit Habibi badges started popping up.
These determined little imposters snuck in, so smug that they got through… but this is how desperately they wanted to be part of what we were doing. Our English Corner was something fun and meaningful, a bright spot that broke up the mundanity of refugee camp life. It was uninterrupted time dedicated for these children to be heard, seen, and known.
I still laugh whenever I see these fake badges and think about the children who sat in their tents making them. I hear the words, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
I hope that one day, we can have our own space to accommodate all the children so that none will ever have to be turned away or make fake name badges. I hope every child can experience that feeling of being warmly welcomed and know that they have been chosen.
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Stephanie is the Education Lead at Habibi International.
Habibi International is building a community center in a camp for internally displaced persons in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The center will serve as a sustainable hub for residents of this camp and an adjacent camp to gather in community, seeking improved health and learning, together. It will include a Learning Center for children and youth.
Help make Stephanie’s dream — and the dreams of many children — a reality, through giving to the Community Center fund here.