Khadija is a 16-year-old refugee from Tal’afar, which is a city in Northern Iraq. This year she would have enrolled in the 11th grade. Khadija was an honor student last year and was looking forward to preparing for college.
However, in June, she and her family had to flee her hometown as ISIS attacked and occupied it. Unfortunately, Khadija’s brother was killed in the attack, and now she lives in a small refugee camp unit with 24 other family members. Khadija explained that she has lost all hope in returning to school this year. Her dream is to obtain a degree in nursing after she completes her high school education. There is still hope that Khadija can complete the 11th grade this year if temporary schools are built for refugees. The Iraqi Education Ministry has postponed the start of the new school year as they try to find classrooms and teachers for displaced children. Development and Relief Foundation is working with the Ministry of Education to ensure that children like Khadija do not miss a year of learning.