Life in Syria remains profoundly challenging after years of civil war and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2024. This includes increased poverty rates and a devastated education system. However, one mobile library in Syria is helping children reconnect with books, art and cultural activities after years of disruption. Through books, art and performance, it offers an escape from the harsh nature of reality.

Refugee Crisis and Poverty

Despite the collapse of the Assad regime in 2024, Syria remains the world’s largest refugee crisis. In December 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded 5.4 million refugees, with a further 5.5 million Syrians internally displaced as of April 2026. Syrians are still feeling the remnants of the civil war as 90% of people live below the poverty line, making humanitarian assistance essential.

Impact on Education

One aspect of Syria’s infrastructure that the war has severely impacted is the education system. The war resulted in the damage or complete destruction of more than 7,000 schools, leaving more than 2 million children out of school. As a result, the number of children who have never entered formal education is rising, limiting their future opportunities and sparking concern for their long-term development. Additionally, the psychological trauma of war and limited supplies pose significant challenges to children in Syria. However, mobile libraries in Syria ensure that children who have grown up with war have a connection to knowledge, enrichment and entertainment.

Mobile Cultural Bus Initiative

In 2025, Syria’s Ministry of Culture launched its initiative known as the Mobile Cultural Bus. The objective is to bring books, art and fun cultural activities to children and their families who do not have access to safe community spaces. This mobile library in Syria, run exclusively by volunteers, focuses efforts in refugee camps and rural areas, where access to books is severely limited. It consists of two buses, each equipped with approximately 1,200 books. This mobile library in Syria has visited the governorates of Qunetira, Deir Ez-Zor and Tartus, as well as the rural outskirts of Syria’s capital Damascus.

This initiative has received funding from publishing houses and libraries across the world, while organizations on the ground have ensured that the bus continues to support as many children as possible.

Connecting Children to Culture

Through reconnecting children to books, this mobile library in Syria also offers them the opportunity to learn about the country’s rich history and heritage. This is achieved through traditional crafts such as soap making and glass blowing. By expanding services beyond books, the Mobile Cultural Bus offers an escape from the devastating impacts of poverty and war through community and laughter, giving children a glimpse of what a childhood should entail.

More than 8,000 children have benefited from this important mobile library in Syria. The demand for this initiative is high, with volunteers facing more requests than they can answer to. In response, project officials have indicated that a long-term goal is to install a mobile library in all 14 of Syria’s governorates.

When safety, food and work are not guaranteed, cultural enrichment is a luxury that is often inaccessible. While Syria’s educational crisis is complex, this mobile library provides a joyful window to learning for children and their families rebuilding their lives after much pain and instability.

– Maya Tailor

Maya is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr