{"id":8045,"date":"2025-05-08T10:19:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T06:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/?page_id=8045"},"modified":"2025-05-19T13:19:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T09:19:51","slug":"finding-her-voice-16-year-old-hayats-journey-to-empowerment-at-a-unicef-makani-centre-unicef","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/finding-her-voice-16-year-old-hayats-journey-to-empowerment-at-a-unicef-makani-centre-unicef\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Her Voice: 16-Year-Old Hayat\u2019s Journey to Empowerment at a UNICEF Makani Centre – UNICEF"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626564287{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Hayat<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

A refugee camp forces children to grow up far too quickly. When I arrived nearly ten years ago, I was overwhelmed by disorientation and heartbreak. Life was unimaginably hard, and I\u2019ll never forget our first day\u2014pitching a tent and receiving only the basics: mattresses, blankets, and a few kitchen essentials. Over time, conditions improved with caravans, water, and electricity, but my parents, wanting to protect me, rarely let me leave home except for school. Two years ago, a friend encouraged me to join the Makani program, sharing how much it had helped her. I convinced my parents to let me try it\u2014and that decision changed my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Makani program and the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund gave me something precious: the opportunity to be a child again. For the first time, I felt I was regaining a part of the childhood I had lost when I became a refugee. It has transformed me into the confident and capable girl I am today. At Makani, we learn but also enjoy fun activities. For the first time in years, I was able to play. I\u2019ll never forget the joy of running around the football field with other girls. It inspired me to take full advantage of everything Makani had to offer\u2014arts and crafts, football, and volleyball. Having a safe space to play without fear of judgment was extraordinary. Being part of a sports team for the first time was an empowering experience. It helped me build confidence and develop new friendships.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”8202″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626657945{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]<\/p>\n

The protection classes at Makani equipped me with essential life skills, like handling harassment and bullying, and taught me to express my feelings and stand up for myself and others. One of my favorite activities is the computer course\u2014it became a window to the world, helping me dream beyond life in the camp.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMakani has transformed me. I\u2019m so different from who I was two years ago. I\u2019m smarter, more confident, and at the top of my class. My parents are proud of me and trust me more because of how much I\u2019ve grown. They now see me as capable and strong, someone who can protect herself. Not only did I pass Grade Nine\u2014but I excelled. I was among the highest achievers in my school, scoring 97.6 percent. My goal is to become the first member of my family to graduate. I dream of going to university to study journalism because I want to be a voice for others. This camp is full of people with amazing talents and skills, but they lack opportunities to shine. I want to tell their stories, highlight their potential, and ensure their abilities don\u2019t go to waste. The Makani program means everything to me. Without it, I wouldn\u2019t have come this far.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626564287{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Hayat A refugee camp forces children to grow up far too quickly. When I arrived nearly ten years ago, I was overwhelmed by disorientation and heartbreak. Life was unimaginably hard, and I\u2019ll never forget our first day\u2014pitching a tent and receiving only the basics: mattresses, blankets, and a few kitchen essentials. Over time, conditions improved with caravans, water, and electricity, but my parents, wanting to protect me, rarely let me leave home except for school. Two years ago, a friend encouraged me to join the Makani program, sharing how much it had helped her. I convinced my parents to let me try it\u2014and that decision changed my life. The Makani program and the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund gave me something precious: the opportunity to be a child again. For the first time, I felt I was regaining a part of the childhood I had lost when I became a refugee. It has transformed me into the confident and capable girl I am today. At Makani, we learn but also enjoy fun activities. For the first time in years, I was able to play. I\u2019ll never forget the joy of running around the football field with other girls. It inspired me to take full advantage of everything Makani had to offer\u2014arts and crafts, football, and volleyball. Having a safe space to play without fear of judgment was extraordinary. Being part of a sports team for the first time was an empowering experience. It helped me build confidence and develop new friendships. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”8202″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626657945{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”] The protection classes at Makani equipped me with essential life skills, like handling harassment and bullying, and taught me to express my feelings and stand up for myself and others. One of my favorite activities is the computer course\u2014it became a window to the world, helping me dream beyond life in the camp. \u201cMakani has transformed me. I\u2019m so different from who I was two years ago. I\u2019m smarter, more confident, and at the top of my class. My parents are proud of me and trust me more because of how much I\u2019ve grown. They now see me as capable and strong, someone who can protect herself. Not only did I pass Grade Nine\u2014but I excelled. I was among the highest achievers in my school, scoring 97.6 percent. My goal is to become the first member of my family to graduate. I dream of going to university to study journalism because I want to be a voice for others. This camp is full of people with amazing talents and skills, but they lack opportunities to shine. I want to tell their stories, highlight their potential, and ensure their abilities don\u2019t go to waste. The Makani program means everything to me. Without it, I wouldn\u2019t have come this far.\u201d [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8202,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[227],"class_list":["post-8045","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-secondary-education-stream","tag-unicef-jordan-makani"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding Her Voice: 16-Year-Old Hayat\u2019s Journey to Empowerment at a UNICEF Makani Centre - UNICEF - Refugee Education Fund<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/refugee-educationfund.org\/en\/finding-her-voice-16-year-old-hayats-journey-to-empowerment-at-a-unicef-makani-centre-unicef\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding Her Voice: 16-Year-Old Hayat\u2019s Journey to Empowerment at a UNICEF Makani Centre - UNICEF - Refugee Education Fund\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row el_class=”tabRowHulf”][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626564287{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”]Hayat A refugee camp forces children to grow up far too quickly. When I arrived nearly ten years ago, I was overwhelmed by disorientation and heartbreak. Life was unimaginably hard, and I\u2019ll never forget our first day\u2014pitching a tent and receiving only the basics: mattresses, blankets, and a few kitchen essentials. Over time, conditions improved with caravans, water, and electricity, but my parents, wanting to protect me, rarely let me leave home except for school. Two years ago, a friend encouraged me to join the Makani program, sharing how much it had helped her. I convinced my parents to let me try it\u2014and that decision changed my life. The Makani program and the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund gave me something precious: the opportunity to be a child again. For the first time, I felt I was regaining a part of the childhood I had lost when I became a refugee. It has transformed me into the confident and capable girl I am today. At Makani, we learn but also enjoy fun activities. For the first time in years, I was able to play. I\u2019ll never forget the joy of running around the football field with other girls. It inspired me to take full advantage of everything Makani had to offer\u2014arts and crafts, football, and volleyball. Having a safe space to play without fear of judgment was extraordinary. Being part of a sports team for the first time was an empowering experience. It helped me build confidence and develop new friendships. [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_single_image image=”8202″ img_size=”full” alignment=”right”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1746626657945{padding-top: 10px !important;padding-right: 20px !important;padding-left: 20px !important;}”] The protection classes at Makani equipped me with essential life skills, like handling harassment and bullying, and taught me to express my feelings and stand up for myself and others. One of my favorite activities is the computer course\u2014it became a window to the world, helping me dream beyond life in the camp. \u201cMakani has transformed me. I\u2019m so different from who I was two years ago. I\u2019m smarter, more confident, and at the top of my class. My parents are proud of me and trust me more because of how much I\u2019ve grown. They now see me as capable and strong, someone who can protect herself. Not only did I pass Grade Nine\u2014but I excelled. I was among the highest achievers in my school, scoring 97.6 percent. My goal is to become the first member of my family to graduate. I dream of going to university to study journalism because I want to be a voice for others. This camp is full of people with amazing talents and skills, but they lack opportunities to shine. I want to tell their stories, highlight their potential, and ensure their abilities don\u2019t go to waste. The Makani program means everything to me. 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