Saint Louis University and Jesuit Worldwide Learning Partner to Provide Higher Education in Refugee Camps
Author: JWL Communications Team
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always had a dream of becoming an IT specialist,” says Benjamin. “I had this dream because I felt like with the knowledge of IT and the problems that my community faces, I would be able to use the skills in order to solve some of the challenges using technological solutions.”
As recently recalled by Father General Arturo Sosa SJ, reflecting on the Jesuit mission and identity, Jesuit universities are called to the joint mission of striving for greater service through education, advancing in the direction of the Universal Apostolic Preferences andleveraging the network in the process.
When considering ways to engage in greater service, some universities may be unsure how to reach marginalised communities or what it takes to deliver higher education in such contexts. Partnering with Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) provides a starting point.
Benjamin lives in Malawi’s Dzaleka Refugee Camp and is among the first 16 refugee students to enrol– at no cost to them –in the online BA in General Studies with a Concentration in Computer Information Systems offered by Saint Louis University’s (SLU) School of Professional Studies, in partnership with JWL.
“This bachelor’s degree offered by SLU increases the diversity of academic programmes and allows JWL to scale to reach even more young people at the margins,” says Peter Balleis SJ, JWL Executive President. It is the second degree programme to be offered as part of JWL’s stackable learning path, which includes a BA in Sustainable Development (accredited by XIM University).
SLU offers 50 scholarships per year to learners in Dzaleka as well as Kakuma Refugee Camp (Kenya).Eligible students will transfer 30 credits from either the Certificate in Liberal Studies (accredited by XIM University) or the Pre-STEM Certificate (Creighton University as school of record) –one-year foundational programmes– and go on to complete the 90 additional credits required to obtain the degree.
In the case of theJWL-SLU partnership, JWL provides a safe community learning centre, internet access, laptops or tablets,and onsite learning facilitators. SLU provides the learning platform, online instruction, courses, and programme staff to ensure that refugee students receive the same instruction and resources as any other SLU student.
“I’m also grateful to JWL and Saint Louis University for bringing about this degree because sometimes in refugee camps it’s hard to find opportunities like this onebecause most people don’t feel the need to bring degrees that are evolved into computer information and other programmes,” says Benjamin. Only 7% of refugees have access to higher education.
“I am proud to work for a university that takes the Jesuit commitment to educational access seriously,” says SLU-JWL Programme Director, Patricia Bass. “By including displaced talent, this programme enriches the whole SLU community.”
By responding to marginalised communities’ call for quality higher education, such joint efforts empower youth in areas most affected by poverty, conflict, and climate change with knowledge and skills that they can apply to forge a better tomorrow. Many, like Benjamin, are ready to seize the opportunity to fully realise their potential.
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