Since the civil war began in 2011, more than 5.6 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees, and another 6.2 million people are displaced within Syria. Half of the people affected are children. Millions of Syrian young people have found themselves without homes, many without access to education, and living in neighboring countries without knowing when, or if, they’ll return home.

Students from 27 countries took up the challenge to help their Syrian peers. First, they learned about the Syrian refugee crisis. Webinars provided them an opportunity to hear directly from young people affected by the war in Syria.

Students also made pinwheels to raise funding to support Syrian peers. For each pinwheel made, the Bezos Family Foundation donated $2 to the International Rescue Committee’s Healing Classrooms program in Iraq and Lebanon.

The money generated from each and every pinwheel helped provide secure, nurturing learning environments for displaced Syrian children to recover, grow, develop and learn. It also helped equip teachers with tools to support children from conflict areas and help.