The partnership of SHERR and Welcome. US’s Welcome Campus Network will help higher education institutions offer scholarships, housing, community sponsorship, and other assistance to refugees.
The partnership of SHERR and Welcome. US’s Welcome Campus Network will help higher education institutions offer scholarships, housing, community sponsorship, and other assistance to refugees.
The United States Department of State has funded a three-year initiative by the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to deepen the involvement of colleges and universities in refugee resettlement.
World Learning, a Washington-based nonprofit, is leading a collaboration with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Welcome.US, and the Ethiopian Community Development Council to support higher education for refugees in the U.S. through their project, Supporting Higher Education in Refugee Resettlement.
The Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration is funding the initiative to boost the capacity of higher education institutions in supporting refugee resettlement efforts. The program aims to improve outcomes for newcomers over their first 90 days in the US.
World Learning CEO Carol Jenkins says the SHERR program is designed to guide higher education institutions to meet the needs of refugees in the resettlement process.
The partnership of SHERR and Welcome.US’s Welcome Campus Network will help higher education institutions offer scholarships, housing, community sponsorship, and other assistance to refugees. The network aims to further strengthen such initiatives by connecting universities with the 10 national resettlement agencies. Thousands of refugees, their families, and others are expected to benefit from these services.
Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash has announced “engagement pathways” that will enable Welcome Campus Network members to utilize their resources and expertise to participate in resettlement support. “Colleges and universities will be able to learn how to contribute across as many different areas of resettlement support as they are able or willing,” he added.
Institutions seeking assistance will have access to toolkits, curricula, briefings, webinars, virtual workshops, and an online portal designed to meet refugee needs.
World Learning’s School for International Training recently housed over 90 refugees on its southern Vermont campus, offering them up to three months of temporary accommodation, English language instruction, and cultural orientation.
Refugees who fled Afghanistan in August 2021 when the Taliban regained control of their country received comprehensive case management support thanks to a partnership between the ECDC and local volunteers. Nearly 200 of these co-sponsors assisted with everyday needs such as transportation, medical appointments, and connecting to key resources. The consolidated service enabled refugees to access vital relief and respite after leaving their homeland.
“By leveraging the unique assets of higher education institutions and capitalizing on their roles as inclusive, welcoming leaders in communities, this new initiative will enable colleges and universities to strengthen and enrich our resettlement landscape,” says Sarah Cross, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.
