Hope Through Education—Tzu Chi and the SDGs

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4 seeks to ensure inclusive, equitable, and high-quality education for all. Yet, for refugees worldwide, access to quality education remains a challenge. Recognizing the needs of Syrian refugee children in Türkiye, Tzu Chi established a school in 2015, equipping them with knowledge and opportunities for a brighter future.

Haydar Safi (right) and Muhammad Hak (left), both from Syria, hold a 2016 photo of themselves with fellow students at El Menahil School, some holding schoolbags distributed by Tzu Chi. Now, one is in high school, and the other is in college. Yu Zi-cheng

Finding Light in Loss

Narrated by Seyhan Mustafa
Translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Photo by Huang Xiao-zhe

Seyhan Mustafa

  • Age: 23

  • Education: Nursing student at Biruni University

  • Hometown: Aleppo, Syria

  • Relocation: Fled to Türkiye with her family in 2012

Seyhan Mustafa

  • Age: 23

  • Education: Nursing student at Biruni University

  • Hometown: Aleppo, Syria

  • Relocation: Fled to Türkiye with her family in 2012

If we should meet again beyond this world, I want to share my life’s journey with him, including my decision to become a nurse. I still remember how his mother wept, holding his small, bloodied body; the thought of it always brings tears to my eyes.

When I was eight, during a holiday celebration, I was playing in the street while my friend spoke to me from the balcony of his house. Suddenly, we heard an airplane approaching in the distance. A deafening explosion followed, and the choking smell of gunpowder filled the air. In an instant, my friend died before my eyes. Though I was fortunate to survive, the scene from that day left an indelible scar.

The following year, my parents fled with us three children from Syria to Türkiye. My father had a heart condition and couldn’t work, so my siblings and I had to provide for the family. It broke my heart to see other children going to school while I worked in a sewing factory.

In 2014, Tzu Chi organized a distribution event during which Syrian refugee families, including mine, performed a play. In the performance, we portrayed ourselves—some selling water, some selling tissues, others doing other work. One child raised his hand and asked, “Why am I working? If I don’t work, how will my family survive?”

Tzu Chi volunteers came to my factory to find me. They encouraged me to return to school, offering to cover my tuition. At last, I had the chance to study! But soon, the pressure of having to earn living expenses forced me back to the factory. Yet Tzu Chi never gave up on me. They came back for me and offered a scholarship equal to my salary, allowing me to study with peace of mind at El Menahil, a school founded by Tzu Chi. I am so very grateful.

I painted my childhood friend, the one I lost that day, smiling peacefully among the clouds in the sky. If we should meet again beyond this world, I want to share my life’s journey, including my decision to become a nurse. I still remember how his mother wept, holding his small, bloodied body; the thought of it always brings tears to my eyes. I also remember the other children who lost their lives that day. These memories are etched into my mind, and I feel the need to share their stories with the world. But more than anything, I want to show the strength that can emerge from the depths of tragedy.

Thanks to Tzu Chi, many war-affected children who had been denied an education were given a second chance. I was just one of them. I am determined to dedicate my life to protecting children and helping the elderly, which is why I’m studying to become a nurse. If I had basic medical knowledge back then, perhaps I could have saved my friend’s life.

Now, as an adult, I have come to understand the profound impact of love and care. These forces have transformed my life, giving me purpose and a clear path forward.

Seyhan Mustafa created this painting, titled Hope Rising From the Flames of War, to commemorate her childhood friend.

Passing on Love

Narrated by Kamil Hatib
Edited and translated by Wu Hsiao-ting
Photo by Huang Xiao-zhe

Kamil Hatib

  • Age: 55

  • Occupation: Social studies teacher at El Menahil International School (elementary division)

  • Hometown: Aleppo, Syria

  • Relocation: Fled to Türkiye with his family in 2014

Kamil Hatib

  • Age: 55

  • Occupation: Social studies teacher at El Menahil International School (elementary division)

  • Hometown: Aleppo, Syria

  • Relocation: Fled to Türkiye with his family in 2014

The cold was biting when we arrived in Türkiye. My factory job couldn’t cover our expenses, so my children worked too. After I began teaching at El Menahil School, I started volunteering with Tzu Chi and visiting Syrian families. With no buses running late at night, I often walked home afterwards, pressing on as I understood what it meant to need help.

Itaught in Syria for 20 years. My family lived in a villa near my school until the civil war broke out. One day, my second son, Yazan, was at a mosque reciting the Quran when an airstrike hit. A bomb exploded on the first floor, claiming many lives. Though Yazan was on the second floor and suffered only minor injuries, the psychological impact was profound.

We moved several times as the situation in Syria worsened. By 2014, we realized we had to leave our home country. When we arrived in Türkiye that April, the cold was relentless. My children and I had to endure both the harsh weather and the pain of leaving behind our home and loved ones. Though I eventually found work in a garment factory, my wages were insufficient, so my children had to take on jobs as well.

After eight grueling months at the factory, I learned that El Menahil School, which had just opened, was looking for teachers. I applied, was accepted, and have been teaching there now for ten years.

Thanks to Tzu Chi’s support, my family’s life began to improve. After graduating from El Menahil, Yazan received a Tzu Chi scholarship and went to Taiwan to study at Tzu Chi University. In addition to teaching, I became a Tzu Chi volunteer, joining home visits to fellow Syrians and helping with monthly distributions at the school. When a major earthquake struck southern Türkiye in 2023, I joined a relief team to distribute aid in the disaster area.

Tzu Chi provides ongoing support to over 6,000 Syrian families in Türkiye, with volunteers conducting follow-up visits every four months. After work and evening prayers, we visit these families, recite the Quran for them, and offer support. Since public transportation stops running after 10 p.m., we often have to walk home, but we press on because we understand what it means to need help.

Seeing how Tzu Chi, despite being based in faraway Taiwan, reached out to us, I believe we Syrians must also help one another. Our faith teaches us to do good for all people, and that sense of duty motivates me to give my best as a volunteer. As a Muslim, I strive to make the most of every opportunity to serve others.

Acts of kindness may be intangible, but they bring warmth to people’s hearts. Helping others fills your heart with a warmth that only those who have experienced it can truly understand. I hope to double the love I have received and pass it on to others. I serve with pride and passion, deeply grateful for the love and kindness extended to us in our darkest times.

I am profoundly thankful to Tzu Chi and everyone who has helped us. I vow to continue spreading this love to places in turmoil, inspiring more people to embrace compassion and pass on love.

Kamil Hatib (right) distributes Tzu Chi aid to a fellow Syrian. Ubeideh Aljamal

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