The meaning of the Hebrew word ‘Ebenezer’ is “stone of help.” What better way to describe the vision of Ebenezer Academy, a school designed by refugee educators and community leaders to meet the education challenge in Dzaleka Refugee Camp. Today, only about 20% of the 18,000 school-aged children are able to attend the primary and secondary school provided by the government and NGO world for children in the camp.

This reality has weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of our refugee friends and partners for the past few years. So much so, that many have told us “their kids are dying” in the sense that their future will be lost without an education. But in the face of this challenge, a ‘stone of help’ in the form of Ebenezer Academy is being built, and IAFR is excited to get behind this vision.

IAFR knows refugees are far more than just people in need. They are creative, resourceful, resilient and keenly understanding of their own context. They know the problems in their own communities, and they have the vision and knowledge to solve those problems in the most strategic and culturally appropriate ways. This is exactly what happened when a group of teachers and community leaders came together to launch Ebenezer Academy. And this is why we believe getting behind this vision is one important step in helping solve the educational challenges in the community.

Learn more about this project here!

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