Letter from Refugee Children in Lebanon
Following protests by refugee students in Lebanon in
September and an international advocacy campaign, UNRWA has agreed
to open secondary schools to provide spaces for students. (see Al
Majdal Issue No. 7)
Dear Friends and Supporters,
Yes, we feel we can call you friends because you stood with us
during our sit-in of UNRWA. You were with us when nobody was, and
this is true friendship. We read you emails many times, which made
us feel warm and secure and strong enough to continue our struggle.
This is what friendship is all about.
Yesterday UNRWA informed us that it decided to establish two
secondary schools for Palestinian refugees in north Lebanon and the
Bekaa. The PLO will finance the one in north Lebanon, and
UNRWA will finance the Bekaa school.
The establishment of the two schools will be gradual starting
with the first secondary level for this year, and completing the
secondary cycle by 2002-3. We don't know how to thank you for
supporting us. Your support meant the world to us. It kept us
strong. It kept us holding fast to
our struggle. It is sad that UNRWA would not listen to us for the
first ten days, because we had no support, and we are only
refugees.
Luckily, when people started writing to UNRWA offices they agreed to meet us and listen to our demands. It needed support from the outside to get our voices heard. We have always been required to fight for our basic rights.
We are grateful because you opened our eyes on how to use technology to make the world listen to us. It is the first time we used these means to achieve our aims and to spread information about our condition. We held many protests before for our basic needs, but no one knew about us and no one cared. We were no on TV, even in Lebanon.
We were not in the press and even our fellow Palestinians outside the camp would not know about us. You know, in Lebanon and the whole world, Palestinians are only in the press when they make mistakes, even small mistakes. We used to feel so isolated and alone. But not this time. We were strong with your support and your emails even played a major role in making UNRWA hear our demands. Please keep up your support for us and for all refugees, because without your support we count for nothing in this world.
We were happy to achieve our aims and win schools, but the spilling of blood in Palestine and South Lebanon has tempered our happiness with sadness. We went home sure that if we all stand together for our rights, we will achieve them. We hope to achieve our right to return to our homeland soon, and live in peace forever. Thank you so much for your help. You made us hopeful. You made us regain our trust in ourselves, and in a just, fair world. Keep up your work for just causes all over. Until we meet all Palestinians and supporters in Palestine, under an olive tree…
Much Love,
Strong, Hopeful, Refugee Students; Lebanon