George El Feghali
Educational coach in Beirut, Lebanon
Educational coach in Beirut, Lebanon
My name is George El Feghali, and I am Lebanese—born and raised in Lebanon. I began studying law because I believed that was how I could bring justice to people. However, I soon realized that justice is not found in books, laws, or regulations. It can only be achieved through humanitarian action, which enables the most vulnerable people to lead fair and equitable lives. That’s when my journey in the humanitarian field began.
Before joining the ProFuturo team in Lebanon, I had pursued my desire to work in the humanitarian field by serving at key organizations that supported vulnerable communities in my country. I wanted to make a difference—no matter how small—in their lives.
That’s why I soon turned to the Kayany Foundation, since its primary mission is the education of refugee children. I believe this issue is vital for these children to have a better and more hopeful future.
Thanks to ProFuturo, I am now an educational coach and can make a difference and have a positive impact where it’s needed. This is my ultimate wish: to work collectively to ensure that the world is a better and safer place for vulnerable communities and children.
When you work with refugees and see hope in their eyes, it gives me hope to be able to give them a little push so they can do more on their own. As an educational coach, I can give them the opportunity to learn in another country because theirs is at war.
It is a social norm in our culture to bring children into the world. Yet, it is difficult if not traumatic to raise children in a context of war and displacement. One of the main challenges these children face is lack of access to formal education. I, as an education coach at ProFuturo I can give them this access to learn in another country, because theirs is at war, and thus, take part in providing them with their very natural and basic right, the right to education.
Education is essential. It is a basic human right, not only for refugees, but for everyone. It is point number 4 in the 2030 Global Goals. We cannot implement the other 16 if we don’t implement education first.
Refugee children currently have limited access to education in their own country or in other countries where they take refuge. It is not an option to leave them behind school premises. They have to go to school, which provides them with a safe and secure environment. This is where they can enjoy their right to a happy childhood with their peers while feeling empowered through learning.
When you work with refugees and see hope in their eyes, it in turn gives me hope to be able to give them a push to do more for themselves. This is why “Antura & The Letters”, an Arabic literacy app – was first introduced. Syrian refugee children need to learn their mother tongue, Arabic, through a fun simple way, starting with the Alphabet letters.
Introducing technology and tablets in education is of great benefit to them, as it allows them to fully engage with the activities. This method motivates the children to want to learn more. It is much more stimulating for them than sitting passively in class and merely listening to the teacher. That’s why I think we need to change the education system and methods of learning, to make it more participatory and engaging.
Working in the humanitarian aid field is not a job. If you don’t feel fully involved beyond the 9-5 hours, helping and collaborating selflessly, than you may not be in the right field. If there is any means during the pandemic to maintaining the children learning process, than we should be applying it. We must put the ready technology to good use. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”, that’s my philosophy.
The coach is the “motivator” of the project. He himself has to be motivated. His motivation and dedication should be passed on to the teachers, since they are the ones who are going to introduce knowledge to the children. The teacher is often almost marginalized, and so we need to remind ourselves, that we wouldn’t be able to enjoy life as we know it if it wasn’t for our teachers. For a child, being able to read a street sign and know the true price of something he’s buying can protect him from being lost and swindled. It is as simple as that.
We say: “sharing is caring”; In ProFuturo we are a family, we are all over the world. It is important to have synergy between the coaches.Moreover, learning about diverse cultures, is by itself a learning curve. There are no limits to exploring the unknown. This is one way to keep growing.