In Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, Alice comes to a fork in the road, where she sees a cat and asks which way she should take. The cat first asks her where she wants to go. When Alice says she does not know, the cat replies, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
Yet, unlike Alice, Revan knew exactly which way she wanted to go. Her path was clear: back to school, to her friends she missed greatly, and to the math class she loved…
The uncertainty that began in Syria in 2011 changed the lives of many families and their plans for the future. Revan’s family also found their way to Türkiye. Born in 2013, Revan now lives in Ankara with her mother and siblings.
She loves math and enjoys drawing. What makes her happiest is playing volleyball with her friends and having long conversations with them.
She Missed Her Friends the Most
However, as Revan’s dreams grew, finding her way to school became more difficult.
She was unable to regularly attend her classes because of the financial hardships her family faced and the school being located far from their home. Due to her absences from school, she had to repeat 5th grade. But for Revan, being away from school meant more than simply missing classes. It also meant being separated from her friends, missing out on playing volleyball together, and no longer being able to have long conversations with them.
She missed them the most.
On the days she couldn’t return to school, she looked forward to seeing her friends. She wanted to attend math class, play volleyball, and take her place in the classroom once again. These were no longer just ordinary parts of her daily life; they were what she longed to experience again.
All Revan wanted was to continue attending school just like other children. But overcoming the obstacles in her way was not something she could do on her own.
The Path to Her Dreams Reopened
A new chapter in Revan’s life began when her path crossed with ASAM.
ASAM first helped Revan and her family to move so they could achieve more suitable living conditions. Afterwards, during psychosocial interviews with Revan, her desire to continue her education and the challenges she faced were discussed.
To ensure Revan’s return to school, the process was closely monitored. 5. sınıfa okul kaydı gerçekleştirildi; kırtasiye malzemeleri ve okul ihtiyaçlarına yönelik destekler sağlandı. Okula dönüşünün ardından da ihtiyaçlarının karşılanabilmesi için aileyle iletişim sürdürüldü.
Atılan her adım, Revan’ın yeniden sınıfındaki yerini almasına katkıda bulundu.
Because sometimes, what a child needs to achieve her dreams is not someone to show her a new path, but someone to help her walk the path she already knows once again.
This is exactly how ASAM contributed to Revan’s life: not by building her dreams for her, but by helping her to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of achieving them.
Today, Revan is back in school. She has reunited with her friends she missed so much and is attending the classes she loves. Her interest in math, her love of drawing, and her dream of becoming a chef one day continue to grow with her.
11 October, the International Day of the Girl Child, reminds us of the importance of achieving a world where every girl can continue her education, develop her talents, and shape her future according to her own dreams.
Revan’s story also reveals another truth: A child’s ability to look towards the future with hope is precious. But it is just as important to make sure that no child is left alone to overcome the obstacles to achieving that future.
Revan always knew which path she wanted to take. Now, she is walking that path once again.
Because for Revan, it was school that was far away, not her dreams.
And today, she is calling out to all the girls who, like her, have dreams for the future:
“I hope everyone pursues their dreams. No matter how many difficulties they face, they should never give up.”