Education and refugees
Educating refugees provides young people with the opportunity to shape their own futures, whether in their own countries, or as meaningful contributors in their host countries.
MBA Project with Edinburgh Business School
Every child has the right to A safe place to learn,
We work to help young people develop Skills for the future
We work to help young people develop Skills for the future
About the project
Challenge
The trauma of being displaced and the battle to survive means young people affected by conflict are often forced to abandon their education. In Lebanon, Theirworld offers an inspiring opportunity for refugees and vulnerable Lebanese nationals to build a brighter future.
Approach
Theirworld partnered with Scotland’s Edinburgh Business School to offer 20 fully-funded Master of Business Administration (MBA) scholarships to refugees living in Lebanon and vulnerable Lebanese citizens.
Students will gain a range of core business skills and one of the UK’s most prestigious management qualifications.
Impact
In 2021 the students’ pass rates for the course’s accountancy exam was 83%, exceeding the average student pass rate of 65%.
Entrepreneurial spirit offers hope
Only 3% of refugees have any form of higher education. The disruption displaced young people suffer means continuing their studies is often impossible. This interruption means their dreams of a quality education and fulfilling career go unrealised.
Young people affected by conflict in Syria find themselves part of a generation that has lost their education and the opportunities it can provide.
Theirworld partnered with Edinburgh Business School to offer 20 Lebanon-based students – comprising Syrian & Palestinian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese nationals – the chance to continue their studies and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
30 years of offering this degree globally shows us that getting an MBA will transform these students’ life opportunities.Heather McGregor, Executive Dean of Edinburgh Business School
Investing in a better future
The students were selected to take part in a two-year post-graduate Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme. Edinburgh Business School, based at the Scottish capital’s Heriot-Watt University, offers academic support, tablets and local examination arrangements to students while they continue to live in Lebanon.
For Orwa Tayara, a student from Homs in Syria, the MBA represents the chance to achieve a goal that seemed out of reach:
“I left due to the war, leaving behind many wishes and dreams in pursuing my master’s studies. After eight years now as a refugee in Lebanon, I have begun to realise this dream.
“I hope that after obtaining my master’s degree from the university, I will be one of the influencers in Syrian society, helping children.”
The fully-funded MBA programme was made possible thanks to the support of the players of People’s Postcode Lottery UK and Omniwomen, part of the global marketing and communications agency Omnicom.
Many of the students plan to use their skills to help their native communities. Empowering this cohort of innovators and entrepreneurs is an investment in a better future for the region.
Learn more at The Key: Theirworld’s comprehensive information toolkit on the global education crisis.
Teaching Resources
Education unlocks support for refugees
“Leaders must understand the disaster facing an entire generation of children and youth who have lost their education”
