24 hours only. This is the duration of Adriana Lima's stay in Beirut, organized by the Education Above All Foundation. Despite the brevity of her visit to the Land of the Cedars, the actress and international model of Brazilian descent was keen to visit a variety of project sites. She inquired about the Educate A Child program, part of the Education Above All Foundation's joint project with UNESCO and its flagship initiative LiBeirut, and collected first hand testimonies from those whose education was disrupted by the Beirut port blasts in August 2020. This monumental project carried out in record time has enabled the rehabilitation of 75 public schools, 20 technical schools and 3 universities, all damaged in the explosions.
With an EAA delegation, Adriana Lima first met the students of Achrafieh III public school, east of Beirut, where she was received by the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut, Costanza Farina, and her team. She toured the newly renovated school, listening carefully to explanations about the disastrous state of the school in the aftermath of the explosion and the changes that had been made. Interrupting a lesson in Arabic literature, she took a seat in a classroom among the students. “I like coming to school in the morning,” said Georges, a 15-year old student. At the beginning, we used to study here with the bare minimum. Today, the environment is pleasant! »
"I hated school when I was young," said Adriana Lima. It's been over 20 years since I've sat on these benches. But when I started my career in modelling, and I started traveling and meeting people from different cultures, I understood the importance of what I learned in school, of all these tools I was given. It was all worth it, and I wish I had been more careful back then.” She added: “Enjoy every minute! I would have liked to have, like you, the opportunity to learn English at school. I know that you have been through difficult challenges but this makes you stronger for the future. What has been achieved here with EAA, UNESCO and their partners is incredible.”
A moment of emotion followed when Amira, a young Syrian student, wanted to tell how she lived the tragedy, after having fled the war in Syria. “This building is much more than a school for us,” she explained. It is our house. I'm happy to see it renovated. On August 4, I was with my mother and my brother, who broke his arm when everything collapsed on us. I remember asking myself: What will happen to me if my mother dies and I am left alone here, in Lebanon, without anyone? Who is going to take care of me? “A testimony received with great tenderness by Adriana Lima, who drew on sad memories of her childhood. “When I was young, my school was very far from my house, she recalled. I had to physically struggle to get on the bus every morning, and violence surrounded us. One day I was coming home from school and a thief attacked my friend and me. When my friend resisted him, he shot her in the face, killing her instantly. Here, you are in good hands, with EAA, UNESCO, your teachers. Even if you don't realize it today, when you grow up you will look back and feel grateful. Do not be afraid, be good, because I truly believe that life gives back to us for our good deeds in its own way. »
Before leaving the school, the Brazilian star inspected the roof of the building, which offers a breathtaking view of the port, ravaged by the explosion, and where the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, had launched the flagship initiative of UNESCO, LiBeirut.
The delegation then went to the American University of Beirut (AUB), where they were welcomed to the prestigious institution by the Brazilian Ambassador to Beirut, Hermano Telles Ribeiro, the Vice President for Administration Mary Jaber Nachar and her colleagues. The opportunity for Adriana Lima to visit the AUB Museum and its cultural heritage buildings which were destroyed by the blasts and rehabilitated by UNESCO in partnership with Educate A Child, a programme of the Education Above All Foundation, and to reaffirm: "Education is the cornerstone of a better future for all. »
Li Beirut is an international flagship initiative launched from Beirut by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, in the aftermath of the explosions, on August 27, 2020, to support the rehabilitation of schools, historic heritage buildings, museums, galleries and the creative industry, all of which suffered significant damage in the deadly explosions.
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global education foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA envisions bringing hope and real opportunity to the lives of impoverished and marginalised children, youth and women, especially in the developing world and in difficult circumstances such as conflict situations and natural disasters. For EAA, education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, generating economic growth and creating peaceful and just societies, as well as a fundamental right for all children and an essential condition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). EAA is comprised of four programmes: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To Asia (ROTA) and Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC). In addition to providing access to education for children around the world, EAA advocates to safeguard inclusive and quality education for all.
Educate A Child (EAC), a global programme of EAA, aims to trigger significant breakthroughs and a material difference in the lives of children who have no access to primary education. EAC has been helping millions of the hardest to reach out of school children (OOSC) around the world. Through partnership and innovation, millions of children continue to be supported to overcome the barriers blocking their path to education. Playing a catalytic role in the field of OOSC and quality primary education, EAC strives to achieve individual and social outcomes for these children, their communities and a more sustainable world for everyone.