Aiming Higher
Aiming Higher
Thank you very much for attending UNHCR’s World Refugee Day event on June 20th in Amsterdam. We're pleased to share the photos from the event with you via this link. We hope the event inspired you to take action and support our mission by enabling scholarships for talented & ambitious refugee students. We are eager to exchange ideas and explore how we can collaborate.Warmly,Team UNHCR
Why investing in refugee education is urgent
Refugees are falling behind when it comes to access to education (SDG #4). Nearly half of the world’s 7.8 million school-aged refugee children are out of school. For those who overcome the odds and complete secondary school, major economic challenges mean their educational journey is likely to end.
Currently, only 7% of refugee youth can attend higher education (vs. the global average of 42%). Thousands of talented refugee students apply for scholarships each year, but there is space for only half of them. Higher education is a priority for UNHCR, as outlined in Education 2030: A Strategy for Refugee Education, forming an integral part of UNHCR’s protection and solutions mandate.
“The DAFI-experience also taught me that I want to go into a world where education should be free, and it should be available for all.”
- Nigara, alumna
The DAFI scholarship programme and our ‘15by30’ target
The DAFI scholarship programme has supported over 26,300 young refugees to undertake tertiary studies since 1992. The programme has a key role in UNHCR’s strategy to achieve 15% enrolment of young refugee women and men in higher education by the year 2030. Today’s enrolment rate is 7%. In 2023, 42% of the scholars were women, and UNHCR is determined to get this percentage up to 50% by 2025.
The strategic priorities of the DAFI programme are to:
through increased access to opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship
and to facilitate peaceful coexistence with host communities during displacement and upon return
by encouraging lifelong learning
to demonstrate the impact of education on individuals, communities and societies
The scholarship covers a range of costs, including tuition, fees, study materials, food, transportation, accommodation and other expenses. To amplify academic achievement and skills development, DAFI scholars receive additional support through close monitoring, academic preparatory and language classes based on students’ needs, as well as mentoring and networking opportunities. DAFI student clubs and alumni groups are active in many countries and make valuable contributions in the communities that host them.
How it works
Through a competitive selection process, UNHCR awards education scholarships to young ambitious refugees who have the skills and commitment to complete a program of study but who would not otherwise have access to higher education. These awards have enabled young people to complete their studies in everything from economics and business administration to civil, environmental and geometrics engineering, Arabic literature, fine arts, agriculture, medicine, law and more.
UNHCR monitors their progress and preparation during their secondary school, provide preparatory and language courses, and give them psychosocial support if needed. We emphasize readiness for the transition to employment by providing skills training, internships and mentoring as well as organizing volunteering and networking opportunities.
Costs of investing in refugee’s futures
By funding DAFI scholarships for talented refugees across the globe, you will enable young people to build on a flourishing future - to improve their personal live, make positive contributions to their host countries, and accomplish great things for society.
- € 3,200 is enough to fund a scholar for one year of studies through the DAFI Scholarship Programme.
- € 12,800 is enough to fund a scholar through the full four years the DAFI Scholarship Programme.
Partnership activities
We would be happy to discuss with you how to set up engagement activities around the partnership. A few ideas:
Guest speaker UNHCR as well as refugee students are pleased to be a guest speaker at events.
Field Missions
Partners are more than welcome to visit our headquarters in Copenhagen and meet our education experts. They can show you all about the technical aspects of the scholarship programme. On some occasions, we even invite you to meet our students in person during a field mission.
Quality content
UNHCR will share compelling scholarship testimonials, quotes, stories, photos, videos. We will also share an annual report on the DAFI programme.
DAFI programme currently operates in:
- Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
- The Americas: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico.
- Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Thailand.
- Europe: Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Serbia, Ukraine, Republic of Türkiye.
- The Middle East & Northern Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Morocco, Syria, Yemen.
Resources
Get in touch
Feel free to reach out to Sophie Heyligers for more information.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +31 6 57 43 44 37
