On World Refugee Day, “Al Ghurair” programs managed 100,000 teaching refugees in Jordan and Lebanon

The Abdullah Al Ghurair Education Foundation revealed that more than 100,000 refugees and refugees in Jordan and Lebanon have enabled during the seven years, through the initiatives of the “Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Fund for Refugees”, which contributed to improving skills and providing job opportunities for 65% of the participants, including 53% of females.

According to the new report issued on the occasion of the International Refugee Day, which was seen by “Emirates Today”, the total funding allocated to the fund amounted to about 165 million dirhams, through which 585 educational and training projects were launched, and 380 small and medium enterprises were supported in fragile environments suffering from complex economic and social challenges.

The report indicated that 94% of the beneficiaries in Jordan improved their skills after participating in the programs, while the percentage of completion of secondary education among Syrian refugees does not exceed 1.4% in Lebanon and 4.8% in Jordan, which confirms the continuation of the gap of access to higher education and vocational training.

Al Ghurair: Education is the key to stability

Abdulaziz Al -Ghurair, Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, stressed that education is the most important tool for building productive and stable societies, noting that “empowering young people begins by giving them the opportunity to education and providing them with the skills that qualify them to build their future with confidence and competence.”

Bin Jaafar: The report reflects reality

For her part, Dr. Sonia bin Jaafar, CEO of the Foundation, told “Emirates Today”: “The report is based on more than a year of field and office research, and 300 young men and women participated in its construction, and 50 actors in Jordan and Lebanon participated in its construction.”
She explained that the most prominent challenges are the high leakage of secondary education, the limited opportunities for vocational education, and the lack of alignment of skills for the labor market.

She added: “We are working to publish the results of the report between decision makers to develop educational and charitable policies in the region, and to share the lessons learned and expandable models.”

Innovative programs

The report reviewed 6 local educational models implemented by the Foundation in partnership with organizations such as “Digital Obourcionte”, “Spark” and “Luminos”, which included the areas of digital skills, entrepreneurship, remote work, English language, and professional guidance, which helped achieve actual economic integration.

New recommendations and approaches

The report presented five strategic directions to enhance the impact of education in fragile societies, including:

– Enhancing the partnership between the public and private sectors and civil society.
Adopting comprehensive educational models that combine skills and practical support.
Investing in research and data.
Focus on the quality and sustainability of programs.
Develop flexible mechanisms to face crises.

He also called for rethinking the traditional view of the refugees, and moving from their recipient to support to actors who are able to contribute to development, if they are provided with appropriate tools and skills.