Amal was very excited to go to school in her small town in Al-Anbar governorate, until the day in February when COVID-19 led to school shutdowns across Iraq. The curious 6-year-old enjoyed learning how to read and write with her friends; because her school ran multiple shifts, it meant she only had a few hours a week to learn how to read the letters in her book, but she always listened carefully. Two weeks after finally learning to write her name (which means hope), COVID-19 began spreading through her village and Amal was sent home.
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