5 Syrian children in Jordan

This 13 year old from Dera'a in Syria now lives in the outskirts of Amman with his mother and three brothers. His leg was badly injured when they were shelled in Syria. When they arrived in Jordan last year his leg had such bad gangrene they were about to amputate. But just as they placed the saw one of the anaesthetists noticed there was a pulse in his leg and they could save it. He spends every morning in school and every afternoon in the hospital. "Sometimes I think children my age should be playing," he said. "But god willing I will one day be able to play football like the other boys."

This sixteen year old fled Syria with his family 2 years ago. His father was injured and cannot work so as the eldest boy, he is the only breadwinner. He hasn't been in school for 2 years. Through his job on a building site, he earns just enough to pay the house rent each month, which he points out is hardly a house, just a warehouse divided into tiny squats each of which houses one family. He has recently lost his job, since the Jordanian government doesn't allow Syrian people to have work permits. He sits watching television all day. "Nothing goes through my mind," he said. "There's nothing in Syria now. No schools, no mosques, no houses, no nothing. If you think about it too hard, your head would explode."

This 11 year old has not been in school for 2 years. He works 12 hours a day in a sweet and pastry shop and earns just enough to cover the rent where he lives with his parents and four sisters. His father was injured so cannot work. He thought they might be given an allowance which would mean he could go to school. Hearing this, he went out to buy his books. When he discovered there was no allowance, he burned all the books. "I contain all the anger in my heart," he said. "I don't talk to anyone."

This 15 year old is responsible for paying his family's rent, but manages to divide his time between 3 days at school and 3 days at work. "The teachers have been understanding," he said, "but I have no time to myself as all my time is taken up with work and school. This is my entertainment. But work means nothing in the end. Education gives you something for the future."

This 13 year old from Homs in Syria is the top of her class, and when we visited her school was just being awarded a prize by a Saudi visitor for her 98% result. The Saudi government is responsible for much of the funding for sunni refugees both inside and outside of Syria. She is able to be at school because her older brother works and provides for the family. "I don't know any of the Jordanian girls as we have divided shifts at school, and I prefer to stick with the Syrians," she said. "We are all repressed, so I don't talk about my repression here. School distracts me from this. I want to be an engineer and a lawyer so I can build, and defend the rights of people."