Stories of Change


Nazanin with her new ball

Nazanin’s Love of Learning

Receiving progress reports in school is something that can be both nerve wracking and rewarding. Three years ago Nazanin, a 12-year-old refugee who lives in Jakarta, would not have been able to read her progress report because she did not know English nor Indonesian. This year, however, Nazanin can read the report and can feel proud of the positive remarks it holds: “Nazanin demonstrates a lot of interest in descriptive writing this term. She developed a clear introduction, organized her ideas into paragraphs and concluded her writing with some details.”

Since 2019, Nazanin has lived in a CWS-managed shelter in Indonesia for women and girls at risk. The shelter is part of our program Protecting Urban Refugees through Empowerment, also known as PURE, which empowers young refugees through community and education. Through the group home, Nazanin learned about the opportunity to enroll in classes at the Roshan Learning Center. With some help from her mother, Nazanin enrolled in English, mathematics, Indonesian language and computer classes. She told us, “I like to solve problems” and explained that because of this, her favorite subject is math. Nazanin also said that although learning can be hard, her creative and helpful teachers make it fun.

Nazanin’s commitment and excitement for learning have allowed her to improve her English significantly. Most recently, she was excited to realize that she no longer needs subtitles to watch movies in English. She also feels confident enough in her new language skills to spark a conversation with strangers.

In addition to stellar language skills, Nazanin’s love for learning is seen in her school attendance. Since she has missed very few days, she was recently awarded with a gift of her choice. Nazanin, who recently discovered a love for basketball, requested a basketball to use at a nearby park. With her new ball, newfound confidence and strong language skills, Nazanin can happily play outside and make new friends. She is looking forward to continuing her education and dreams of becoming a surgeon one day.

With a community who is there to lift her up, and a strong education, we can’t wait to see what Nazanin will achieve.