Theirworld

Conversation with Theirworld’s Maysa Jalbout on mission in Moldova with Education Cannot Wait

Maysa Jalbout with Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait, and young Ukrainian refugees at UpShift Social Innovation Bootcamp in Chisinau, Moldova © ECW, 2022

Maysa Jalbout, Theirworld Senior Adviser on Education in Emergencies, speaks to Theirworld President Justin van Fleet about the education crisis in Moldova, where refugee families have fled from the war in Ukraine.

This live conversation was held on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday, April 13, from Moldova where Maysa Jalbout has been part of an Education Cannot Wait-led mission, alongside USAID, FCDO/UK, UNICEF and UNHCR, to learn more about how Theirworld can support refugee education projects in the coming weeks.

Moldova is bordered on three sides by Ukraine. Approximately 400,000 people have crossed into the country since February fleeing the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. Today, Moldova hosts an estimated 100,000 refugees – around half of which are children.

Maysa’s discussion with Theirworld President Justin van Fleet included:

  • First impressions on the mood in Moldova
  • How the Moldovan government is managing its official response
  • What Ukrainian refugee families are asking for and the challenges they are encountering
  • What types of support an organisation like Theirworld can provide for continuity of education and psychosocial support for children

A recording of the conversation is now available here:

Maysa is Senior Adviser on Education in Emergencies for Theirworld. She is a non-resident fellow at the Centre for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution, and Special Advisor to Arizona State University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Learning on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Maysa is the host of The Impact Room podcast, where she speaks with guests about the ideas that make a real difference to our world. 

Maysa wrote Theirworld’s report Finding Solutions to Greece’s Refugee Education Crisis following a field visit to Greece in December 2019. You can download the report here.