Not the End of Their Story

When I reflect on why I advocate for education solutions in displacement contexts, I think of the transformative power of education to foster resilience. Whether it's a makeshift classroom in a Syrian home, a large international school supporting stateless children in Malaysia, a small learning center in Indonesia, or language classes offered at a church in Poland, the classroom is a place of hope and opportunity. It reassures displaced families and children that their current situation is not the end of their story.

Symbols of Security

The classroom is also a place of belonging and safety in refugee communities. A safe classroom helps to stabilize traumatized children and provides a place to learn and grow into restoration and future life.

I think of the children I know in a refugee camp in Malawi. There, in the muddy streets, children without a future play next to ditches with open sewage and trash, distracting their minds from the hunger that haunts them. However, when these children are given the opportunity to go to school, they no longer feel so defined by their current circumstances. They have the potential to learn and create a better future for themselves. A school uniform is a tangible reminder of this truth. It symbolizes the security of belonging and community. It says 'this child isn't just forgotten to play on the streets, but they are learning and growing, and they have a potential future ahead of them.'

I can contribute to the future

Education is powerful for the teachers in these classrooms as well. I recently talked with my friend, a teacher in this same camp. He spoke of feeling called by God to teach.

"God has placed me in this camp and created me to be a learner and someone who gives back to others," he told me. "Teaching is a way I do both those things. I don't have much to give to all the desperate needs around me. But I can teach and contribute to the futures of children who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to learn."

On a recent visit, another teacher in Malaysia told me that she was originally from Afghanistan, graduated high school, and took a teacher training program while waiting to be resettled. Despite her dream's prolonged delay, she, too, sees God's hand in her calling to bring hope to others as a teacher in a refugee context. She works in Maylasia at a school that educates kids displaced from all over the world. That sense of contribution, despite her own uncertain future, empowers hope in this teacher's heart as she passes hope to the children in her classroom.

Reflecting the Greatest Teacher

It is a great privilege for me to watch this transformative and healing power for communities across cultures in so many varied contexts around the globe. I think of the heart and words of the greatest teacher of all, Jesus. As His body, we have a powerful opportunity to partner with breathing His words of life and hope into difficult and hopeless situations when we empower education for displaced communities. We serve a God of redemption who breathes life into spoken words and broken lives and gives people restoration, empowering hope for a better future.

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