Social Work School Leads University-wide Project to Promote Educational Advancement of Syrian Refugees

Columbia School of Social Work professors Dr. Nabila El-Bassel and Dr. Neeraj Kaushal recently traveled to Jordan as a preliminary step in setting up a multidisciplinary, University-wide project that seeks to identify the needs of Syrian refugees in the areas of research, education, training and service.

The project, called ASPIRE (Advancing Solutions in Policy, Implementation, Research, and Engagement for Refugees), represents a consortium of senior faculty from a number of  Columbia schools who are working in direct partnership with the Columbia University Global Center in Amman as well as with faculty from the University of Jordan and several universities in Turkey.

Part of ASPIRE’s mission will be to examine the role of higher education institutions in promoting the educational advancement and achievement of refugees. The project also intends to provide research and training opportunities for faculty and students at the University of Jordan in data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Other organizations and partners include the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Department of Psychiatry, Teachers College, and Columbia Global Centers in Amman, Jordan and Istanbul, Turkey.

The slideshow below contains photographs from the core team’s visit to Syrian refugee camps during their exploratory journey.

Beautiful dresses for Syrian engagement and wedding celebrations at one of the many bridal shops where Syrian women can rent bridal dresses in Zaatari refugee camp. The owner of the store shared that he had worked in a bridal shop in Syria, and that this was a way to make the most of his past career in this difficult setting. Ages for brides coming into bridal shops vary. While the majority of Syrian refugee girls do not marry prior to 18 years of age, UNICEF reports sharp increases in rates of early marriage among Syrian girls in Jordan as families grapple with the new pressures associated with their new lives as refugees.

Dr. Neeraj Kaushal (ASPIRE) and ASPIRE team visit a general store run by a Syrian refugee in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Cash-for-Work (Zaatari) or Incentive Based Volunteering (Azraq) are the only type of formal work available to refugees inside of the camps. According to the World Bank, there are an estimated 160,000 Syrians working in the informal sector outside of camps in Jordan.

Dr. Anindita Dasgupta (ASPIRE post-doc fellow), and the ASPIRE team meet with medical faculty from the University of Jordan to discuss plans for initiating data collection on the health and mental health needs of Syrian refugee women.

Dr. Nabila El-Bassel, and Dr. Neeraj Kaushal (ASPIRE PIs), and the ASPIRE team meet with UNHCR senior public health officers at the UNHCR Jordan office to discuss the current UNHCR response to the Syrian refugee crisis, and the potential role of Columbia University’s research in this work.

Syrian refugees have taken steps to make their small caravan homes lively by planting greenery, and decorating their spaces. UNHCR has partnered with NGOs to also paint artwork on caravans in an effort to brighten the lives of the inhabitants.

Syrian refugees have taken steps to make their small caravan homes lively by planting greenery, and decorating their spaces. UNHCR has partnered with NGOs to also paint artwork on caravans in an effort to brighten the lives of the inhabitants.