The recent drastic rise in refugee immigration to Europe and other countries around the world has put pressure on host countries to provide the necessary tools for survival, one of which being an education for the young refugees.

Refugee education is crucial for so many reasons; the protection of refugee children from any forced recruitment into armed groups, child labor, sexual exploitation, and child harm to name a few. Oftentimes. when refugees reach their newly adopted countries, a majority of them come with little to nothing but the clothes on their back. With no other options available, refugees are forced to send their kids to work to help provide for the family. This is especially true in cases where the father is missing or the mother is sick and cannot work. 

Many refugee kids try to balance school and work but repeatedly fail at one or the other, leaving the whole family behind and in financial distress. On the other hand, there are a lot of examples of early child marriage, where the family decides to marry off their young daughters to soften the financial burden. 

According to a 2019 study done in Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 10.4% of girls ages 10-19 were married off. Another survey shows that 24% of Syrian refugee women between the ages of 15-17 are also currently married off. 

Why is refugee education important? 

Refugee education empowers individuals by giving them the knowledge and skills to survive and live an independent and fulfilling life. Contrary to popular belief, refugees crave the independency to survive on their own and are always working hard to learn and gain the skills they need to provide for themselves and their families, in addition to giving back to the community. 

Providing these communities with an education teaches them about themselves and the world they live in. Leaving the only place they’ve known as home at a young age, taking a long and hard journey, having a language barrier and moving from living in a house to a tent leaves those young refugees confused. 

Many individuals are left with an identity crises, lack of sense of belonging, and difficulty understanding the situation they’re put in. With a better education system, they’re left with a better understanding of where they come from, what happened to them, who they are, and a better sense of hope of where they can go. 

Every child has the right of education 

Here are some data and statistics on refugee education: 

Challenges that refugee students face: 

Interrupted schooling is among the many challenges faced by refugees. A lot of young refugee students lose a few years of education, leaving them behind in comparison to their classmates. A majority of these students’ setbacks are due to lack of documentation. Another challenge is language barriers. At the beginning of the refugee immigration to Turkey, there were a lot of Syrian schools opened to welcome refugee students, where the curriculum was in Arabic, helping the student to adjust easily. A few years later, these schools were shut down, leaving the students with the only option of enrolling in Turkish schools with a lack of language understanding, adding an extra challenge. In addition to language barriers, there are cultural barriers and differences that might take time to understand and grow accustomed to. 

At Karam, our number one priority is refugee education. Our programs are focused on providing the best education possible for refugees to become our future leaders. Whether with Innovative Education,  college scholarship opportunities, or support offered to the entire family unit, they have the possibility of a brighter future. 

This September, we are providing Back-2-School backpacks for Syrian refugee communities in Turkey! Karam Families in Istanbul and Reyhanli will receive backpacks filled with supplies to send their children back to school with the tools needed to succeed and one day give back. 

Join us in putting together these backpacks by donating to our Back-2-School campaign.