RWANDA
SOUTH AFRICA
MALAWI
LEBANON
KENYA
KENYA
OVERVIEW
GEM works in partnership with Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) in Kakuma refugee camp and with Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) in Nairobi to serve refugee and Kenyan students alike.
Kenya hosts almost 500,000 refugees, making it the second biggest refugee-hosting country in Africa. Refugees in Kenya are predominantly from the Great Lakes and the Horn of Africa region.
Location of refugees in Kenya:
KAKUMA REFUGEE CAMP
Situated in the second poorest region in Kenya, students in the Kakuma refugee camp face malnutrition, communicable disease outbreaks, and malaria. Donor support has faltered due to conflicts in other parts of the world. GEM has partnered with Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) to provide equitable high-quality tertiary learning by creating a pathway to bachelor’s degrees for their learners.
GEM students in the Kakuma refugee camp are often leaders who aim to transform their communities, and innovative entrepreneurs who have learned how to juggle opportunities and demands on their time. GEM’s competency-based degree program enables such learners to manage their busy schedules by enabling them to move at their own pace, while also giving them the technical skills to excel in their business-oriented careers.
KEY CHALLENGES
The GEM and JWL partnership aims to address the challenges faced by refugee students. In Kakuma refugee camp, these include:
Access to housing
Gender equity (for women)
Access to healthcare
Access to childcare
Insecurity and violence
Food insecurity
Vulnerable to natural disasters
Legal status
BY THE NUMBERS
Average 4-year graduation rate for GEM students in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp
Average 4-year graduation rate for US public universities
Average 4-year graduation rate for US private universities
Average global MOOC completion rate
2020 total students enrolled
Female to male gender ratio
Average age
Languages spoken
(other than English)
GEM’s average cost per student per year
Kenya’s average cost per student per year
US public in-state average cost per student per year
US public out-of-state average cost per student per year
US private average cost per student per year
STUDENT BLOG
In times of crises, hope and resilience remained the core of change
Daud, Zamzam and Rita, GEM Students at JWL Kakuma
The world was brought to its knees by the COVID-19 pandemic. The refugees in Kakuma were overwhelmed by the situation. No one had an idea of what would happen when the first case was confirmed by the Ministry of Health of Kenya in March 2020.
Several restrictions were imposed in Kenya, just like any other part of the world. This wasn’t an exception for Kakuma, Kalobeyei and Dadaab; moreover, the situation worsened in the camps, as further restrictions led to the cessation of movement in and out of the camps. Inspired by our education with Jesuit Worldwide Learning, we shared the passion to give back to our communities. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see.”
One of the topics included in our diploma course at Regis University was about Community Advocacy and Practice as well as an introduction to Sociology. Using this knowledge we wanted to find answers for some of the challenges faced in the camp.
Read more
The global pandemic has surfaced existing gaps between the refugee communities and humanitarian organizations. These existing gaps include education, public awareness of COVID-19, advocacy (e.g. human and refugee rights, female education), and representation for vulnerable members of the community (e.g. children, girls, elderly, single mothers and people living with disabilities).
In June 2020, we started knocking on the doors of NGOs such as Lutheran World Federation, UNHCR, and NRC, as well as connecting with other community-based organizations. Before long, we started bringing the first members onboard to become part of KAKUMA READ – a non-profit community-based organization with the mission to co-create spaces that support community-led advocacy and literacy.
We know that we can play an important role in helping both refugee and host communities who are impacted by COVID-19. It is the hope that this strengthens self reliance and creates a bridge between the refugee community and the host community for better integration.
We have started a weekly podcast to create awareness around COVID-19 and other topics such as community health. Our podcast is recorded using various languages such as Dinka, Somali and Nuer. It can be listened to through various apps. What makes us unique is that our episodes can be reshared, and accessible, 24/7. We share it using all means available such as memory cards, Bluetooth transfers, WhatsApp and other social media accounts.
Similarly, we’re trying to reach out to people living with disabilities and vulnerable members in the community to support them. Most of the leadership positions in our organization are filled by women to better communicate and mitigate the challenges that girls face. In this way, we want to actively involve women in the peace building initiatives, for a cohesive effort to create the environment we all want to live in.
NAIROBI
GEM has partnered with Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) since January 2020. JRS is an international organization that operates in 56 countries with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Together, GEM and JRS serve 25 students through a pilot program in Nairobi, a city that hosts more than 80,000 urban refugees.
These refugees aren’t able to access humanitarian aid and must find and pay for their own housing, food, healthcare and education. The GEM students are adaptive, creative and highly-skilled, with sky-high ambitions. They excel in fast-paced environments. The adaptability of the competency-based degree is a good fit for these learners, while also providing the opportunity to develop soft skills and to build their social capital and networks in the city.
KEY CHALLENGES
The GEM and JRS partnership aims to address the challenges faced by refugee students. In Nairobi, these include:
Access to Transport
Insecurity and violence
Access to healthcare
Discrimination
Physical insecurity
Access to childcare
Food insecurity