08-04-2026 | di COOPI

Lebanon. Maya’s second chance to continue her education

For three years, Maya*, a 13-year-old girl from Tripoli, was unable to attend school. After the loss of her father, she has been living with her mother and two younger siblings. As the family's sole breadwinner, her mother works under difficult conditions to cover their most basic needs. Like many vulnerable children in Lebanon, Maya was forced to put her education on hold due to her family's severe economic hardship.

Everything changed when she enrolled in a Basic Literacy and Numeracy (BLN) course promoted by COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale. In a safe and supportive learning environment, Maya gradually regained the reading, writing, and numeracy skills she had lost during her years out of school. Just as importantly, she rebuilt her confidence, rediscovered the joy of learning, and found the motivation to continue her education.

Maya says:

I feel happy to learn again. At first, I was afraid I had forgotten everything, but my teachers encouraged me every day. Now I want to continue my studies.

Her mother describes the programme as a turning point for the whole family:

Seeing Maya study again has given us hope. For a long time, I thought she had lost her chance to continue her education. This project gave my daughter a second chance, and now she believes in herself again.

Maya took part in activities implemented under the “EduCare – Support for inclusive education and protection systems for school-age girls and boys in the Akkar region and North Lebanon”, implemented by COOPI and funded by the Italian Cooperation. Launched in March 2025, the initiative enables vulnerable Lebanese and refugee children across Northern Lebanon to access inclusive, safe and quality education. The project operates in Tripoli and Akkar through five public schools — Ibn Khaldoun Boys School, Ibn Khaldoun Girls School, Qarqaf School, Deir Dalloum School, and Borj Arab School — as well as through the centres of Al Fayhaa Association. It combines three complementary components: school retention support, Early Childhood Education (ECE), and Basic Literacy and Numeracy (BLN).

Overall, EduCare supports 674 children across Northern Lebanon. A dedicated team of six staff members works closely with public schools and local partners to ensure children receive consistent, high-quality educational support.

A COOPI educator involved in the programme explains:

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, regardless of the obstacles they have faced. Second-chance education is about much more than catching up academically. It helps children regain confidence, reconnect with their peers and believe that their future is still full of possibilities.

In Northern Lebanon, many children face overlapping challenges, including poverty, displacement, learning difficulties, and child labour. These factors significantly increase the risk of school dropout and long-term educational exclusion. This explains why, for Maya, this programme represents far more than learning assistance. It marks the beginning of a new chapter — one in which returning to school is no longer just a dream but an achievable goal.

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COOPI has been working in Lebanon since 2013, where it supports Syrian refugees and host communities – particularly women and children – through projects focused on child protection, improving sanitation and hygiene, and the socio-economic empowerment of the population.

* Fictitious name