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El Menahil Promise | 6:15

El Menahil Promise: Joud Jaloull’s Story

December 15, 2020

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Education

With a love for learning, Joud Jaloull is full of promise. “I adore math and even consider it a hobby,” she tells us as we look at the books and drawings spread out in her room. She moved to Istanbul, Turkey, just a few years ago, having escaped from conflict in Syria with her family.

When they first arrived, the family desperately needed money to get by, so Joud got a job at a glove making factory. But, she was committed to keep up her studies even though she wasn’t going to school. “I used to work on a machine that flips gloves… I used to place my book behind this machine, so I would flip the gloves and study at the same time.”

Her father, Mustafa, admitted that, as a parent, “it was saddening to see a child who is motivated to learn… unable to do so due to circumstances.” But, after enrolling in El Menahil International School, sponsored by Tzu Chi Turkey, Joud and her family, who receive a stipend for wages lost from work, can have the luxury of prioritizing education above all.“

I’d like to sincerely thank El Menahil International School. Without it, I’d still be working and studying at the same time,” says Joud. In the future, she hopes to apply her knowledge and skills as an architect, inspired by the new city that surrounds her.

Get to know Joud’s story in our video and learn how you can support the potential in all El Menahil students – who come from refugee families at https://tzuchi.us/menahil-promise

CREDITS

Director: Hannah Whisenant
Director of Photography: Jonathan Van Lamsweerde
Editor: Hannah Whisenant

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