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UNHCR Helps Refugee and Asylum-seeker Children to Attend School

Representation of UN Agency on Refugees in the Kyrgyz Republic (UNHCR) in cooperation with its partner "Sezim" psychological center distributed school supplies and financial support to over one hundred children.

Vital support
Refugees and asylum-seekers face many difficulties in Kyrgyzstan. They have limited access to jobs in Kyrgyzstan thus education costs can be substantial for them, especially for those with big families. "Education is a long-term investment. And UNHCR wants refugee kids to continue schooling and develop child's interest in education", said Johann Siffointe, Resident Representative of UNHCR in the Kyrgyz Republic. "The small help provided today is part of a larger assistance programme that aims to encourage refugee children and teenagers to achieve the highest possible results during their education."

Refugee children had to interrupt their education when they were forced to flee their country. In the country of arrival, they often do not know the language, which provides them with great difficulties. However, with the help of UNHCR, the children can continue studying here, learn both Kyrgyz and Russian languages and continue their course of education. Every year almost two hundred refugee and asylum-seeker children attend primary and secondary schools in Kyrgyzstan.

"This year I see a trend of increasing number of refugee children in schools. The refugees and asylum-seekers are trying to give their children a secondary education, despite the economic and social difficulties. The education is a priority for refugees and asylum seekers," said Meerim Kadyrkulova, the project coordinator of "Sezim" center.

According to Meerim Kadyrkulova, none of the refugee children owned sufficient school supplies. Therefore, the supply of such materials is an essential help for those children. "This kind of support goes a long way to assist them get quality education as each refugee child will now have note pads, pens and other necessary supplies", she added.

Feeling good about going to school
"My family is quite big. I have eight siblings. Moreover, my father is the only breadwinner. I am so excited to see all these pens, notebooks and other stationary. This makes me feel really good about going to school," said Ihsan Mohammad, a fourth grade pupil after receiving his learners' kit. Education in Kyrgyzstan is free and mandatory. The Government of Kyrgyzstan is trying to accommodate refugee children but there are also many obstacles - for example, the high cost of school materials. To provide an incentive for refugee children to continue attending classes, the UN Refugee Agency has distributed school kits for more than five years, as well as the small one-off payments in order to assist parents in the purchase of other school items. Each school kit includes a bag filled with fifty stationery items.  Additionally, UNHCR also finances pre-school lessons for Kyrgyz, Russian and English languages and mathematics to help children get ready for school.