The Road to the SDGs

PURPOSE X The Syrian crisis has produced more than 13 million forcibly displaced people, of whom 7 million are internally displaced while 6.7 million are refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, with another 1 million across Europe. Young people and children whose education is suddenly interrupted by war constitute the largest proportion of the refugees. X IsDB is focusing on educational support to address the lack of adequate international financial contributions in this regard. Investing in education can lead to positive outcomes including: – Supporting peace, stability and building the future – Preventing the loss of an entire generation during conflict – Improving the perception of learning environments as safe and supportive – Improving livelihoods – Improving confidence in the ability of governments to provide social services – Establishing the building blocks for social cohesion and the reduction of violence. X The IsDB refugee education programme aims to: – Create pathways for young refugees and hosting communities from education into decent employment opportunities, through job placements and/or the creation of one’s own business – Increase access to education for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees with smart education enrolment – Provide remedial education through complimentary curricula and student textbooks. METHOD X Targeting 2,010 young Syrian refugees and IDPs, the programme provides quality education, scholarships for higher educational and vocational degrees, technical diplomas and short courses. It also provides economic empowerment and entrepreneurship support, entrepreneurship training, coaching and financing support to SMEs, soft and technical skill training, internships and employment opportunities. X The programme seeks to: – Enhance access to electronic and vocational education and training for IDPs inside Syria – Provide access to vocational education and training for Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and KRG-Iraq – Empower Syrian students to find or create jobs through entrepreneurship and business skilling for employment – Build an electronic Smart Education system characterised by freedom and ease of access, targeting more than 700,000 students and 300 schools Smart education and skills development for refugees I sDB is building resilience among young refugees and hosting communities through smart education and skills development The matching fund mechanism aims at improving access to education for Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey through vocational education for decent employment to economically empower young refugees [ 134 ] SDGs