Success story: Zainab al Youssef dreams of rebuilding Syria

Regardless of where she is, or what she’s doing, one thing that always stays in Zainab al Youssef’s mind is her best friend Leen, who was killed in Syria when their school was bombed.
“There was bombing all around us, but we weren’t at school. My best friend Leen went back to school because she forgot her pencil case, and she was killed,” she says. “I’ll never forget her, I always think about her,” she added.
Zainab was born in the city of Aleppo in 2011, and went to Lebanon after her family’s home was destroyed.
According to AMA staff who visited Zainab in her refugee camp, she had a very difficult start to life in Lebanon and struggled to adjust to life.
The family’s tent in Al Yasmine camp, located in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, was in poor condition. The family were in constant need of new clothing, essentials and a bed for Zainab.
“She didn’t have many friends at first, and there was a lot of sadness in her eyes. She lost all of her documents and belongings, she suddenly didn’t have a school, a home or a best friend,” says Fatima Kaisi, a project co-ordinator at AMA.
Zainab was eventually sponsored in 2021, with all of her education being covered, including transport to school, her equipment, and all of her subjects.
“After going to school and realising that she has people around her that love and care for her, she started speaking out for other children her age in the camps, campaigning for their education too,” added Kaisi.
Since being sponsored, Zainab has started excelling at school, with her favourite subject being maths.
“My maths teacher is my favourite, because she speaks so calmly and she’s so nice,” she says.
Zainab’s ambitions have since also grown, with her biggest life goal being to become an engineer.
“I want to go back to Syria one day, and rebuild the country, and the room where me and my best friend Leen used to play before she was killed.”
After attending school once again, Zainab has become a lot more charismatic, and enjoys playing for hours on end with the other children in her camp. She’s also made friends with the photographers that come to the camp, picking it up as a hobby herself too.