The HOPES project is a European initiative financed by the Madad Fund, which undertakes a large number of actions to assist young Syrian refugees and youth in vulnerable positions in the host communities, to help them continue their education.
The objective of the HOPES project
The war in Syria has displaced more than seven million people within the country while nearly 5 million Syrians have left Syria for neighbouring countries. Faced with this influx of refugees, the higher education systems in the host communities have also been affected, and cannot guarantee university access to all refugees and vulnerable youth.
The objective of the HOPES project (Higher and Further Education Opportunities and Perspectives for Syrians) is to improve the situation of young Syrian refugees, as well as of youth in vulnerable positions, in five countries that have taken in Syrian refugees (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey) and to make it easier for them to access higher education.
HOPES has received 12 million Euros in financing from the Madad Fund, a regional trust fund operated by the European Union in response to the Syrian crisis.
What the HOPES project does
The HOPES project is coordinated by a European consortium comprised of the German office of university exchanges (DAAD - project coordinator), the British Council, Campus France and the Dutch organisation for the internationalisation of education (Nuffic).
The project is planned to last nearly four years and half (April 2016-August 2020). It organises a number of actions to help students affected by the conflict in Syria.
The partners of the HOPES project are implementing the following:
Academic counselling
Counters dedicated to consultation and the orientation of Syrian refugee students have been set up in the five countries that are targets of the HOPES project. They provide the students with information on the possibility of accessing higher education and on the opportunities for funding.
Scholarships
The HOPES project finances scholarships for young Syrian refugees and vulnerable youth of the host countries to continue their studies, in Bachelor's and Master's programmes.
Language training
The HEEAP (Higher Education English Access Programme) programme offered English training modules adapted to student needs and to the context of each country.
Call for proposals
HOPES funded projects supporting the intensification of capacities in higher education institutions of the five host countries and/or in Syria, often in collaboration with European institutions.
National and regional policy dialogue
HOPES supervised the connection between various players at national and regional level impacted by the influx of refugees from Syria, and fostered the institutional dialogue between higher education institutions, ministries, regional organisations, NGOs, etc. through the organisation of national dialogue and regional political conferences.
For more information : hopes@hopes-madad.org
