From Crisis to Curiosity: AVSI Showcased at Moving Minds Alliance

At the Moving Minds Alliance Showcase on June 26, 2025, Oumnia Arab, Education Department Coordinator at AVSI Lebanon, shared how AVSI is reimagining education in emergency settings—bringing learning, play, and healing to the heart of communities affected by crisis.

The session highlighted AVSI’s innovative response to Lebanon’s complex crisis—marked by economic collapse, a protracted refugee emergency, and ongoing conflict.

At the core of AVSI’s approach is a powerful belief: learning doesn’t stop in emergencies—it adapts. Through low-tech, play-based methods, AVSI activates learning spaces wherever needed—community centers, collective shelters, even informal settlements. Children engage in hands-on activities, receive learning materials, and participate in group play and storytelling sessions that nurture both cognitive and emotional development.

Teachers as Pillars of Stability

In emergencies, teachers are more than educators—they are a source of consistency and care. AVSI trains and supports teachers to become facilitators of well-being, using songs, stories, games, and emotional support techniques. The results speak for themselves:

Following the 2024 conflict escalation in South Lebanon, AVSI introduced STEAM and robotics programs to help displaced children return to learning with confidence. These creative, structured activities offer much more than academic knowledge:
They restore a sense of agency, encourage collaboration, and promote healing through discovery, experimentation, and success.

Lessons From the Field—and a Vision Forward

From over a decade of emergency education work, AVSI draws five key lessons:

Looking ahead, AVSI is committed to scaling play, creativity, and innovation across its education programs—because these are not optional extras, but essential to learning in times of crisis.

Want to learn more?
Discover how AVSI is shaping the future of emergency education