Student Refugee Program from Camp to Campus

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Student Refugee Programfrom Camp to Campus

• Presented by Jama Ali

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Background

• Run by World University Services of Canada (WUSC)
• Mission of WUSC Foster human development and
  global understanding through education and
  training.
• Helps bring refugee students from refugee camps
  to Canadian campuses
• Since 1978, WUSC has sponsored about 1000 refugee
  students

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Break down
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Life in Camps Kakuma Refugee Camp

• Situated in semi arid dessert of North west
  Kenya.
• Camp is 9km long and 2km wide
• Camp lies between two dry river beds.

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Climate

• Hot and dry with low and un reliable rainfall
• Temperature b/n 38 to 40 degrees
• Dust almost daily occurrence

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Diversity in the camp
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Food

• Food Is distributed twice a month, but it is
  neither enough nor nutritionally ballanced
• A single refugee gets a
• 3.75kg of Maize
• 0.35kg of oil
• 0.46kg of pulses
• Initially there was a wheat floor but now cut.

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Fire wood for cooking.

• Fire wood is the most commonly used source
  of energy for cooking.

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Shelter in the Camp

• Half of the refugees live under thatched
  roof shelters

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Other houses look like this
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Fetching water from common taps
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Health

• Many refugees die of Malaria, Typhoid and Cholera
• Some of the clinics lack the basic drugs

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Latrines..toilet.. in camp
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Education.

• There are Primary schools and secondary schools
• The schools are short of books, teachers and lab
  equipments.
• Adult education system is also set up

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Classes were held outside in the beginning
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class rooms were built later

• Students sitting in class..

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What happens after high school?

• few students get local scholarship for tertiary
  education
• Many end up in camp jobless
• Only 20 students get sponsored through WUSC
  sponsorship in kakuma camp
• the competition for WUSC sponsorship is
  extremely high in the camp

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ArrivalDama2006
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From camp
to campus
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Support After arrival

• University Tuition accommodation first year
• Wong Center Home a way from home
• Rotary Club helps paying for travel loan
• Library supports by furnishing room
• Library also helps with part time job

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SRP is unique in that faculty, staff and
students, work together in a concrete way
putting their VALUES into ACTION
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Challenges after arrival

• New weather, food, university demand etc.
• Providing financial support to families back in
  the camp
• High drop out percentage
• Some times become home sick

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Recent Obstacle facing the Student Refugee
Program (SRP)

• WUSC Ottawa lost Donor money to support the cost
  of refugee students overseas
• Now local committees have to raise
  2500 for oversea cost to sponsor a refugee
  student in the coming years

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THANKS!!

• ANY QUESTIONS???
• For more information about the Student Refugee
  Program, please see Julie Snair- the Student
  Refugee Program Advisor at the international
  center
• Or feel free to contact me at 075828a_at_acadiau.ca
  or 670-5545.