Refugee Learning Center
Donate now and help over 300 refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq get basic education!
YOU have the POWER to make a CHANGE!
“While every refugee’s story is different and their anguish personal, they all share a common thread of uncommon courage: the courage not only to survive, but to persevere and rebuild their shattered lives.”
Antonio Guterres
Our Story
In 2015, four refugees living in Indonesia gathered members of the local refugee community to share their plan to establish a learning center to provide education to refugee children in the area. The refugee community was very excited so together the community joined hands and we set up the Refugee Learning Center in September 2015 with 35 students, 7 teachers and 4 management members.
Over the course of these two years, the number of students gradually grew. Today, we teach more than 160 children in the morning shift, plus 80 adult women, and 40 men in our afternoon English classes. Our team has grown too, we now have 22 teachers, 6 management members, 2 parent representatives and 3 Futsal coaches. We also have four health group volunteers who are responsible for organising workshops for the community in order to improve sanitation and hygiene. We are all refugees and we grew up in different countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. We are open to everyone independent of sex, ethnicity, nationality, and religion.
With your help, today’s refugees in limbo can become contributors to your society tomorrow.
(Women's afternoon English classes at Refugee Learning Center.)
Background
The reason why we have to wait in Indonesia for several years is because of the lengthy UNHCR procedure and the third countries' embassies. When refugees come to Indonesia they have to register themselves as asylum seekers with the UNHCR. Then, they have to wait for an interview. After that, they have to wait to be recognised as a refugee. And, they have to wait again, to be resettled. This process used to take up to 4-5 years. However, UNHCR has recently been informing refugees that this process now might take up to 15-20 years, which makes our center and its activities even more crucial to the children living in Indonesia.
As refugees in Indonesia we don’t have access to the most basic human rights; studying, working, and healthcare. And when people can’t go to school and can’t work, they are exposed to overthinking and other mental problems because they have too much free time on their hands.
And when they are not allowed to work or study here, they will change from active people to lazy people, which will make them burdens on the society when they move to a third country. That’s what we are fighting to change.
Years ago, many of us were in the same situation as these refugee children, when we were forced to leave our countries and flee to neighboring countries without finishing our studies. Watching other children go to school when on the other hand, we were not allowed to, was an extremely tough situation. We don’t want the same to happen to the children here.
What are we raising funds for?
Our Goals
The 4 main goals we are striving for at Refugee Learning Center:
1. Providing education for refugees and preparing them for their future society.
2. Facilitating communication and cooperation between diverse group of people and cultures.
3. Providing meaningful engagement for the refugee community.
4. Developing the capacities of refugee volunteers.
Why It Matters
We want to continue this learning center to educate the refugee children. This center will provide the very basic education to the refugee children while they wait for their case processing through UNHCR.
But this is not just an educational center for children, it also acts as a source of optimism, motivation, and inspiration in a place with no hope. Before Refugee Learning Center (RLC) children used to be at home doing nothing all day. They are the most vulnerable members in a family, and in a situation like this, they were directly exposed to mental and psychological issues. But after establishing this center, they have been given a new driving force. Something to help them utilize their time in positive and constructive way.
Aside from children, Refugee Learning Center also provides an opportunity for the volunteers to develop and improve their personal skills. Through workshops and various training, most of the teachers and management members have gained life-changing experiences.
“Refugee Learning Center (RLC) is not only a place where we come to teach and the students come to learn. It is more than that. It is like our second home and all the people involved in RLC are like a family.”
-Madiha Ali, volunteer teacher at Refugee Learning Center.
(RLC teachers during a workshop at Sekolah Pelita Harapan in Jakarta.)
How You Can Help Us
With the donations from our previous campaign in June 2018, we were able to achieve so many great things but most importantly we were able to pay the last 6 months rent to ensure RLC continues.
To continue our center we need your support. Running a community-based learning center is not an easy job, especially when you are a refugee who is not allowed to work. We depend on help from the outside to cover even the smallest expenses such as water, gas, electricity, papers, markers etc.
That is why we aim to collect $6636 in 39 days to pay for school building’s rent, teacher’s transportation fees and other necessities.
Please donate as much as you can because every single contribution, no matter how small will make a HUGE difference for the children of Refugee Learning Center. Please share our campaign page with your friends and networks.
