Programs
In a humanitarian crisis, whether it’s war, famine or natural disaster, lives are turned upside down. Families are uprooted, separated or destroyed. Access to education deteriorates. Safety and security dissolve. In the midst of this chaos, displaced adolescent girls are often the most overlooked, neglected and vulnerable. When girls ages 10-16 lose their homes, famillies or schools, they are more exposed to:
For girls to be safe and to have a chance at the future they deserve, they need security and education, health care, social supports and adult mentors. And they need opportunities to develop the confidence, critical thinking and support networks needed to make good decisions for their lives.
The Women's Refugee Commission illuminates and addresses the critical needs of adolescent girls in crisis settings to ensure that they stay safe and make positive changes in their lives. We are working in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia with girls, and the groups that support them, to identify and promote ways that girls can protect themselves, access healthcare, complete school, build leadership skills and be seen as a valued part of their families and communities.
We learn from the girls themselves what works and what doesn’t and then we partner with local organizations to design unique projects to meet these needs. As a result of our work, girls will learn how to live safer lives and, with support of adults, build brighter futures.
Our work aims to enable displaced girls develop the skills they need to protect themselves. We partner with local groups who provide safe spaces and help displaced adolescent girls build skills through workshops, peer support networks and mentorship. We also engage and educate families and community leaders about the importance of protecting and empowering adolescent girls.
Young people under the age of 25 now make up nearly half of the world’s population, and nine out of ten of them live in developing countries.
In conflict-affected and fragile states, 40 million children and youth are out of school; they make up over half of the 75 million out-of-school young people worldwide. Girls—whose education and employment opportunities are further limited by gender-based violence and discrimination—are worst-off.
Without school or vocational training, displaced youth sit idle in camps all day long, or if in urban areas, they take their chances working informally. With growing frustration and little hope for the future, these youth can become a source of violence and insecurity. Meanwhile, their enormous potential to contribute to their families and societies goes largely unnoticed and unsupported.
Education is a human right that all children and youth are entitled to regardless of where they live. Yet, although essential to the development of a stable society, schooling and job training in conflict-affected regions are often hard to come by.
The Women's Refugee Commission works to ensure that displaced youth have opportunities to learn and grow so they can contribute to their communities and one day be able to support themselves and their familes. We conducted research in multiple countries looking at the education and livelihood opportunities available to youth ages 15—24. We met with hundreds of displaced young women and men in Jordan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, southern Sudan, Sudan, Thailand, Uganda and the United States. We listened to them to learn what worked and what could have worked better to support their educational and skills-building needs. Read the synthesis report of our findings and recommendations.
