Unlocking power of education for refugees through unique programs

Emery Nshirimana is jovial as he walks to the Future Accelerated Education Programme (AEP) Centre, ready for the day’s lesson.

But he is putting on a facade. Life has not been easy for the 14-year-old. He lost his parents in a road accident in Uganda, where they were refugees.

He was later taken in by his aunt, who was also staying in a refugee camp in Uganda.

The family would then move to Kakuma Refugee Camp in April 2022, where the second born in a family of five was granted resettlement at Kalobeiyei, under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

He is enrolled for the Accelerated Education Program (AEP) at Future Primary School at Level 3, equivalent to Grade Four under Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) syllabus.

He was exhilarated. “Stepping in class is my greatest achievement. It has birthed my dream of becoming a doctor and a musician,” narrates Emery.

Serah Musengya, an Education Officer with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Kenya, explains that AEP is a flexible, age-appropriate programme that targets children who have missed school.

Learners in the programme supported by Prospects receive extra coaching before transitioning to regular classes. Prospects is a multi-year programme, financed by the Government of the Netherlands, aiming to improve living conditions for millions of people who have been forced to flee their homes and for host communities.

First launched in 2019, the multi-annual humanitarian development initiative brings together the Government of Kenya (GOK), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Unicef, UNHCR, the World Bank (WB), and other stakeholders to transform how they respond to situations of forced displacement.

The partnership aims to enhance an enabling environment for the socio-economic inclusion of forcibly displaced persons through education, employment, protection, and critical infrastructure to build self-reliance and overall resilience.

At the school, Emery is provided with all learning materials.

“In Uganda, we were required to pay school fees and buy books, but my aunt could not afford them. Despite some challenges, I am happy to be in school,” he quips.

Apart from studies, the centre provides psycho-social support to learners dubbed ‘Better Learning Programme’, which the pupil says has helped him overcome his childhood trauma.

“At times, I am overwhelmed when I think about my parents. And even though I have friends here, when I remember my former friends who died of Covid-19 back in Uganda, I get stressed,” narrates Emery.

Emery’s aunt, Beninye Harumokiza, tells The Standard that the enrolment of her nephew to the school has enabled him to recollect himself.

 Troubled past

Harumokiza has her troubled past that rendered her a refugee. She vividly recalls the cold morning when they flew from Burundi after the brutal killing of her parents following Hutu-Tutsi class warfare in 1994.

Like neighbouring Rwanda, Burundi sunk into a violent abyss as members of the Hutu community turned against the Tutsi compatriots..

“They (armed attackers) dragged us out of our house and instructed us to lie on our tummies. One by one, they killed my father, mother, and grandparents mercilessly, leaving my siblings and me hopeless,” Harumokiza recalls. “The dark memories live with us, but I believe there is a brighter future, and education is key for our children.”

Rasir Echesa, the centre supervisor, says Emery is a disciplined pupil, and with guidance, his future is bright. The AEP centre has different levels of enrolment, namely Levels 1, 2, 3.

After completing Level 3, learners are integrated within existing mainstream primary schools or transition to Tertiary institutions.

“The Accelerated program has enabled learners to communicate fluently because, on admission, they cannot speak English and Kiswahili. They are therefore guided and supplied with learning materials to be at par with the Kenyan curriculum,” adds Echesa.

The biggest percentage of learners at the centre suffer from trauma, making it difficult to concentrate in class, having witnessed distressful events back home. They are, therefore, taken through different activities like drama, drawing, and play.

Musengya emphasises that  AEP is flexible, age-appropriate, and targets disadvantaged out-of-school children.

Many children at the camp are out of school for various reasons, such as displacement, climate shocks, and conflicts in their home countries.

“AEP compresses eight years of normal primary schooling to four years of schooling,” says Musengya.

But even as education within the camp is revamped, Musengya regrets that a large number of children are yet to be absorbed.

Among solutions to address absenteeism is the adoption of the Digital Attendance Application (DAA), which tracks learners in refugee camps. The application was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, but efforts are ongoing to integrate it into the Kenya Education Management Information System (Kemis).

Further, Unicef, along with the Ministry of Education and partners, has worked on developing Accelerated Education guidelines for harmonising AEP approaches.

Turkana County Education Director Henry Lubanga says the government has been keen on ensuring children in the refugee camp access education through established schools. There are 16 pre-primary, 27 primary and nine secondary schools in Kakuma and Kalobeyei integrated settlement. “The government supports refugee education by allowing the use of Kenyan education curriculum,” says Lubanga.

The Kenya Primary Education Equity in Learning Program support the provision of a feeding programme channelled through the National Council for Nomadic Education of Kenya (Naconek), Elimu scholarship, and school improvement grants. A visit to the Kalobeyei Reception Center Child Protection Office reveals hundreds of individuals ranging from unaccompanied children, adults, and older persons seeking asylum in Kenya.

 Education, the equaliser

The new arrivals at the centre are mostly from Sudan, South Sudan, Congo, and Burundi. There are also a handful of refugees from Pakistan and Ethiopia.

Pharnice Were, the centre’s Child Protection Casework officer, says the numbers are projected to be higher due to ongoing political instability in Sudan.

“On average, per week, we can receive around 1,500 refugees inclusive of adults and children,” says Were.

“There are cases of unaccompanied minors who come in after separating with their parents during the war, death while some come alone because they want to access education and other services,” she adds.

Before getting to the reception, they are cleared at the Kenyan border from their countries of origin and issued with travel documents.The documents indicate the number of persons travelling per household.

They then visit service centres at Kalobeyei, where they are screened and cleared for reception centers for further documentation before being permitted to stay in camps.

Screening entails age testing and rapid risk assessment, keying data into the child protection management system to help locate their guardians and develop case plans.

According to the official, screening helps children understand the protection to be given.

Adjacent to the reception is a child-friendly space where children undergo psychological support through various activities.

Social support officer Mercy Mbugua says the unit allows children to express themselves as part of the healing process from trauma faced.

“A handful of children are scared. Some say they witnessed their parents heads chopped off and people killed in their countries of origin. We therefore, engage them to help them recover,” adds Mbugua.

There are 800 children at the centre between two and 17 years old.

Turkana West Sub County Children’s Director Elijah Jakait says children seeking asylum are accorded rights enshrined in the Kenyan constitution, laws, and child protection policies.

The rights entail access to education and protection against harm.

At least 450 professionals at the refugee camp have been trained on child rights, including financial, emotional, and educational rights.

“Children’s issues are emotive and leave somebody somehow emotionally unstable. This is why we train professionals to provide psycho-social support,” says the director.

Jakait, however, notes that a number of children face challenges at the camp, ranging from prolonged clearance processes at the reception, defilement, child marriage to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

“Sensitisation is on children’s rights is ongoing, and prevention of abuses like FGM and child marriage,” says the official.