Refugees often see the education of their children as a principal way of ensuring a better future for their family, regardless of whether that future holds a return to the home country, local integration in the country of first asylum, or resettlement to a third country. Just as importantly, education often plays a critical role in creating stability in the lives of refugee children. However, the current model of international assistance in countries of first asylum - that is, the first nation in which people find refuge outside their homeland - focuses on meeting immediate and important basic needs. Refugees are therefore increasingly seeking alternative ways to educate their children.
by Sarah Dryden-Peterson