Introduction
Refugees are people who have been forced out of their countries due to unavoidable circumstances such as wars and civil unrest. According to international relations, countries should offer shelter and improve the quality of life for refugees while they are in their country. It takes the efforts of volunteers, non-governmental organizations, and government bodies to improve the quality of life for refugees. The Liberian civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s led to the migration of over 50,000 refugees to the USA. Improving education among refugees is crucial because it enables them to become productive and self-reliant.
Collaborating Community
Liberians in Newark are a selected community for collaboration and improvement of educational standards among the refugee population. The first substantial migration to Newark from Liberia was witnessed during the first and second Liberian Civil Wars, which claimed the lives of over 250,000 people (Scorsone, 2019). As a result of the war, the population has taken shelter in many parts of the world. Consequently, people fled their country, and by 2002, more than 50,000 Liberians had migrated to the United States, seeking assistance (Scorsone, 2019). The Liberian community living in Newark is considered underserved in education, and a project must be implemented to solve the educational challenges they face.
Pseudonyms for the Partners and Their Contacts
A project coordinator can only reach out to a community through designated individuals who have authority and respect. The first step in the project implementation is to reach out to the community leaders, who would connect the refugees with the project implementation committee.
Summary of the Project
The Liberians in Newark are educationally underserved and lack basic education. Failure to receive adequate education jeopardizes their ability to compete fairly in the job market, as most jobs are reserved for the educated members of society. Further, when the children are not under formal academic training, they are likely to be affected by societal challenges such as child labor, sexual exploitation, and forced marriages, which affect their lives. The project aims to analyze and improve the educational standards among Liberian refugees in Newark, to enhance their quality of life by promoting self-sufficiency.
The proposed project involves bringing together all educational stakeholders in Newark to gather their views on the best ways to improve community education. The key stakeholders in the project include federal and state ministries responsible for education, donors, well-wishers, and other individuals of goodwill. The funds generated from the project will be used to build new schools in the communities, ensuring that children do not have to travel long distances to attend school. The project’s main objective is to impart knowledge and make them dependent and self-sufficient.
Project Goals
The proposed project has long-term goals that will likely improve the Liberian’s quality of life. The specific general goals include:
- Improve literacy levels among the Liberians to improve their employability rate and, consequently, their productivity.
- Increase self-sufficiency as educated people can work to cater to their needs,
- Eliminate child labor, child marriages, and sexual exploitation, and improve the general well-being of the community.
- Equip learners with the necessary skills to address the problems they will encounter in the future.
- Education centers enhance children’s safety and increase their chances of survival.
Project Objectives with Specific Outcome for Measurement
The project’s primary objective is to promote education and enhance the quality of life for Liberians in Newark. The objectives are annexed with specific outcomes for easy monitoring and evaluation, leading to improved results.
- To help students acquire management habits that help them overcome challenges. The objective will be evaluated through cognitive tests. The outcome will be achieved if students possess the organizational skills to manage their daily duties effectively at the refugee camps.
- Introducing education in refugee camps lowers the rates of forced recruitment, as people forced into employment will have the opportunity to join voluntary labor. The objective will be evaluated by measuring the number of people in forced employment.
- Enable students to learn about themselves and their history, which improves patriotism for their nation. The evaluation will be based on questions about their origin, and students who demonstrate a good understanding will be considered to have met the outcome.
Rationale and Importance of the Project
Education is a fundamental right of all people worldwide, regardless of their social status or geographical location. Liberian refugees who fled their conflict-inflicted country to Newark are deprived of education. Consequently, the refugees who grow up without proper education may be unable to compete effectively in the job market. The project complies with the 1989 and 1951 international refugee conventions, which require that all children born to refugees be educated for a brighter future (Khan & Sackeyfio, 2021).
Education in the refugee camps will broaden their thinking capacity and help the country generate more revenue. Education is a vital empowerment that enables the refugee population to become economically viable. Further, education in the refugee camps reduces the risk of child labor, sexual exploitation, and child marriages, among other societal vices.
Actual Work Description
The initial step in implementing the educational project is to conduct a needs assessment among the affected population to determine the number of students and their unique educational needs. Once the needs are determined, those who have started their education in Liberia undergo a specific intake interview. The interview is designed to ensure that the skills acquired in their home country align with the educational standards offered in the region.
Once the needs are identified, the project committee convenes all non-governmental organizations and stakeholders from federal and state governments, as well as education stakeholders, to determine how the students’ needs will be assessed (Khan & Sackeyfio, 2021). Once the donors and well-wishers have been engaged, the students will be placed in the nearest schools, and school facilities will be built on the streets to improve the standard of living. Constant evaluation and monitoring are crucial to ensuring the project is implemented effectively.
Conclusion
Liberians in Newark and other parts of the USA are educationally underserved and deserve to be given access to education. Increasing their educational access will likely enable them to become independent, productive, and happy. The project implementation can only be successful if all the stakeholders collaborate. The refugees must also be involved in goal setting to ensure that all their needs have been captured according to their expectations.
References
Khan, F., & Sackeyfio, C. (2021). Situating the Global compact on refugees in Africa: will it make a difference to the lives of refugees “languishing in camps”?Journal of African Law, 65(S1), pp. 35–57. Web.
Scorsone, K. (2019). Invisible Pathways: public history by queer black women in Newark. The Public Historian, 41(2), 190–217. Web.