The message from Mohamad Al Jounde

Theater is still one of the best ways to express yourself and a mirror to show people what’s good and wrong in our world. The stage is a space where you can create your own world, where you can feel your dreams coming to life. The kids I used to work with were able to show us their past, and the future they wanted, by the play they wrote and acted. They were able to influence people’s emotions and give them the chance to live what was real for those kids, because they never acted, but they were showing their feelings and their reality in a touch of art.

Mohamad Al Jounde

Mohamad Al Jounde, from Syria, won the 2017 International Children’s Right Prize, from the KidsRights foundation. He is 17 years old. Here is his story, as related by KidsRights website :

"Mohamad grew up in Syria, but fled for Lebanon when life became too dangerous at home. Like thousands of other refugee children in the country, he couldn’t go to school, so he set out to make a difference for children in the same situation. Despite of the difficult circumstances he was living in, Mohamad built a school in a refugee camp. At the age of 12 already, he was teaching maths and photography. Now 200 children access their right to an education here. Mohamad helps children to heal, learn and have fun with games and photography. He is a natural storyteller, raising awareness about the challenges refugee children face by bringing their stories to a wider audience."