Zainab Sultan

Jordanian education pioneer building schools for Syrian refugee children in Jordan

Zainab Sultan is a Jordanian educator and social entrepreneur who founded Future for Syrian Kids in 2013. Her organization has established 15 schools in Jordan's Za'atari and Azraq refugee camps, providing education to over 12,000 Syrian children displaced by war. These schools use innovative modular classrooms and digital learning tools in partnership with UNICEF and UNESCO.

Sultan's approach combines traditional education with vocational training, ensuring students gain marketable skills. She pioneered the 'Education for Resilience' program, which incorporates trauma counseling and psychosocial support. Her work was recognized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which awarded her a $1M grant in 2020.

She developed the first Arabic-language STEM curriculum for refugee children and trains local teachers through her Teacher Academy program. Sultan's advocacy led to Jordan's 2016 policy change allowing Syrian refugee children access to public schools. She currently advises the World Bank on refugee education strategies and has authored policy papers cited by the UNHCR.