Dubai Cares to help educate 15K refugees

Education is more than just a fundamental right; it helps pave the way to a brighter future. Many children in emergencies have never had the chance to go to school. But Dubai Cares is changing that with the launch of three education programmes in rural Ug

Since 2014, more than one million South Sudanese refugees have arrived in Uganda to seek refuge from the civil war back home. Seventyfour per cent of those seeking asylum are children under 18. For many, education is often out of reach. But Dubai Cares is changing that. It is one of only two donors globally bringing education back into the lives of these children.

Located in northern Uganda, the Adjumani and Yumbe districts have seen the biggest influx of refugees over the past three years; 524,349 to be exact.

With the majority noted as children, Dubai Cares has invested more than Dh4.1 million into an education programme which will directly benefit 15,000 students, and indirectly benefit 8,000 people within the settlement.

With one of the most progressive refugee policies in the world, Uganda’s non-camp settlement approach allows those seeking asylum to live long-term, side by side with host communities in the country.

But speaking to Khaleej Times from the Adjumani district (which hosts 223,000 refugees), Tariq Al Gurg, chief executive officer of Dubai Cares, said globally, education is “never prioritised” for refugee children.

“A child, on average, stays a refugee for 17 years. If he doesn’t get an education, it can hugely impact his/her quality of life later down the line.” Some of the biggest barriers to education in refugee settlements include poverty, childhood pregnancies, and high teacher: pupil ratios. Because of that, the rate of illiteracy remains high and the cycle of poverty can be hard to break. But the Dubai Cares programme is aiming to put an end to that.

With a focus on three main areas, Al Gurg said the 15-month programme, which was implemented in July, will improve the quality of the education environment through the construction of six new school blocks and 10 latrines (toilets).

It will also seek to improve absenteeism by providing better schooling materials to children, including writing tools and books; and it will also support the community in hosting awareness programmes and talks on the need for education.

The programme has been launched in partnership with Plan International, and Greg Lavender, head of programmes for the charity told Khaleej Times that on a global scale, Dubai Cares is one of few philanthropic organisations helping educate refugees.

“Globally, people think education is not important in emergency situations like this. But these people remain in these settlements for at least 15 years in most circumstances. Education is key here and Dubai Cares are helping prevent a lost generation of children.”