Political power play putting the most vulnerable at risk

(Children dancing at the child care center, picture provided by NPR cited below) International aid seems like a good idea from the outset. Nations looking out for one another in times of need, lending a monetary hand or even boots on the ground when serious help is required for vulnerable populations. However, one downside to...

Is integration a panacea?: Refugee teachers concern about their future

70% of 3.5 million Syrian refugees staying in Turkey is likely to stay, Ahval reported. Ahval introduced the report written by the U.S.-based Atlantic Council think tank, claiming that Turkey should take more efforts to integrate Syrian refugees into the Turkish society. The same discourse is applied to education for refugee children. Most international organizations and...

Publicizing Progress: Making Sense of Education Amidst Conflict in Yemen

If you've been following along with international news, you have seen that the conflict in Yemen has been raging for about three years now. In very simple terms, the conflict is the result of two powerful men with different agendas and passionate supporters. This ABC News Australia video can shed some light on the subject....

Learning in emergency: Refugee students are facing challenges after enrolled into schools

Four million refugee children do not attend school, the new report of UNHCR says. This report, “Turn the Tide: Refugee Education in Crisis,” explains that only 61% of refugee children attend primary school, and the enrollment of refugee children in school is failing to keep pace with the growing refugee population. UNHCR suggests that host...

US and Belgium end aids to support Palestinian refugees and schools

“Cutting U.S. aid to a UN agency headed by a Swiss commissioner which provides education, health and social services to Palestinian refugees is not a formula for peace nor does it reflect American values,” states Daoud Kuttab, a Palestinian journalist and former professor at Princeton University. Last week, The Washington Post reports that the Trump...

As International Actors Vie to Rebuild a Destroyed Mosul, This Writer Is Suspicious…and You Should be Too

Earlier this month on September 6th, UNESCO news reported that its first international meeting on the “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative was taking place. Mosul is a major city in Northern Iraq with a rich history of cross-culturalism. However, In June 2014, the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS) launched an assault on Mosul....