Mohammed Ghazal Al-Zarqa, a 14-year-old boy from Muhin, Syria, is the eldest son of a family consisting of a mother, two siblings, and a deceased father. The family migrated from Syria seeking refuge from the crisis and the armed battles. The mother left with Mohammad’s siblings to Jordan, while Mohammad came with his grandmother and uncle to Lebanon and stayed at Baalbek-Nabi Anaam.
Mohammad has a difficulty in
speaking due to a mental shock at the age of five, when a friend of his was
wearing a scary costume and attacked him with his dog, which left him
traumatized. After three continuous years of treatment and follow-up on
Mohammad’s case in the capital of Syria, Damascus, Mohammad woke up one morning
and tried to wake his father up many times, but he refused to. Death stole
Mohammad’s father leaving him astonished and struggling with his speaking
difficulty, which started worsening.
Mohammed entered school and reached
the third grade back in Muhin, where his speech improved a little, as he has
also been visiting doctors. However, the father’s death, the crisis, the
family’s migration, along with Mohammad’s special case, prevented Mohammad from
continuing his education.
Mohammad’s uncle’s wife learned
from some relatives about a Basic Literacy and Numeracy (BLN) program that was
being implemented at a nearby center called “student support center” by the
Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST), in cooperation with
UNICEF. The uncle’s wife was encouraged to register Mohammad at the center and
enroll him in the classes. Upon her arrival to the center with Mohammad, an interview
was conducted showing the child’s eligibility for all the criteria set.
During his first weeks at the
center, Mohammad faced difficulties pronouncing, reading, and writing, although
he is fluent in writing, but he always hesitates when he is asked to. The
reason for that was that he had no self-confidence, and he was being ridiculed
frequently by his friends and uncle who showed no faith in the child’s ability
to learn and succeed.
A few weeks later, things totally changed course. Mohammad was surrounded by his teachers and classmates who showed endless support and motivation. The case was addressed and Mohammad became privileged, and one of the very distinguished students because of his ability to surpass his peers in writing.
Mohammad today is one of the most active students; he always come early and never skips a class. The pre-test results revealed Mohammad’s superiority in receiving the information and his impressive talent in writing. It was also discovered that although with a little confusion, Mohammad expresses best when he is surrounded with people he likes the most. Moreover, teachers have found out that they can urge him to give his best by surrounding him with a friendly environment and not interrupting him.
“I want to be a doctor in the future and open my own hospital, because my father died at home and there was no hospital in the region. The nearest hospital or medical center was miles away. I also remember how much effort and time it used to take him to drive me to the capital every time I had therapy. I don’t want anyone to suffer or go through an experience like mine”, Mohammad stated.
More important than his special needs, Mohammad had a dream and a goal. It is a dream that resembles his heart, which is completely made of empathy and love, and resulting from all of his losses and sufferings.
