Joseph
Since graduating from the Diploma, Joseph completed an Associate’s Degree and moved on to study towards a full degree in Public Administration, from Southern New Hampshire University (USA).
Championing sports to make a difference
“I always wanted to study. It is one of my hobbies,” says Joseph, JWL Diploma graduate. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he did all is schooling in French, he had to learn English in order to socialise, pursue higher education opportunities, as well as find a good job in Kakuma. Before joining the Diploma programme and working for the International Rescue Committee, he made bricks to provide for his family whilst completing an advanced English course and computer skills training.
Since graduating from the Diploma, Joseph completed an Associate’s Degree and moved on to study towards a full degree in Public Administration, from Southern New Hampshire University (USA). This educational journey has thus far forged him into a more organised, critical-thinking and attentive person, with the necessary knowledge for success. After the degree, his eyes will be set on an MBA.
Joseph is also the Kakuma Learning Facilitator for the Youth Sports Facilitator (YSF) professional certificate course. A footballer from an early age and now Vice-Chairman of the Kakuma United Football Club, the prospect of being the YSF Learning Facilitator was also interesting because it would allow him to enhance his “knowledge about sports as one of the tools that can change a community in every aspect,”
and apply his leadership skills to support students on their journey. The story of the founding of Kakuma United Football Club is just one example of how sports can make a difference, uniting refugees and the host community. It has been a learning experience for both sides, as “each student came with his or her knowledge and experience about sports which helped both of us to understand better the basics of sports and how to use sports of the community development and peaceful coexistence.”
He has been proud to see how well his students have performed. Keth, for example, is a young woman whose volleyball club for girls has managed to unite two rival tribes from Sudan. Some day, Joseph would like to establish a sports academy within the camp, to “enhance or prove how sport is important and the role it can play in people’s lives worldwide.”
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“I was so frustrated and upset from the state of peace around the world, I had no faith or trust in peacemaking… And here I am, studying Interreligious Cooperation for Peace, and willing to go further in this field. I was so happy and satisfied in the end of the course,” says Ishraq.
Ishraq is a teacher and Palestinian refugee living in Sulaymaniyah. Her experience with the Peace Leader programme have made her more confident in talking about conflict and peace, and she now has a “stronger faith that there is hope.”
Sunday, a South Sudanese refugee living in Kakuma, struggled with academic writing and public speaking in high school until last year, when she enrolled in the Global English Language (GEL) programme.
Christa, from Sri Lanka, is among the very first graduates of the BA in Sustainable Development. Over the past three years, she acquired essential knowledge related to sustainable development and possible solutions to address social and environmental issues faced by her community.
Leah is a Wapishana indigenous woman from Guyana who wants to work to see her community's language, culture and traditional knowledge survive – and thrive.
Noshin recalls how difficult the early days of displacement in northern Iraq were. With the support and encouragement of her parents, she completed her secondary school and studies at the University of Dohuk, graduating with distinction. But she was unable to find a job.
“ […] I noticed that our area is considered as a disputed area and it needs educated and peaceful people to stand up again after all happened to it,” says Masoud. After years of displacement, he returned to Sinjar and was encouraged by friends to enrol in the Peace Leader programme.
“I see myself as an instrument to promote and enhance the education of students, those who are struggling to get an education and those who are from a very poor family background,” says Yalini, a Learning Facilitator programme graduate.
Hima comes from Anjengo, a fishing-dependent village in India’s Kerala District. She joined the Global English Language programme (GEL) for professional purposes, but it turned into more than that.
With the discovery of large oil reserves, Kyle feels that Guyana is “on the cusp of change,” and highlights the long-standing challenges faced by indigenous communities.
The challenges Rodiya has faced in Syria and then in Iraq have been no match for her positive outlook on life. Now, she’s making her dream of university studies come true, as a JWL student.
Esther was first displaced within her own country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, before fleeing to Malawi, a few years later. Despite multiple challenges, Esther completed the Diploma in Liberal Studies and is now making her way through the B.S. in Leadership with Creighton University.
It’s been eight years since Zedan was forcibly displaced from Sinjar, northern Iraq; eight years of living in Khanke’s internally displaced persons’ camp. “Sometimes you feel that you will give up,” he says, but stresses that he is working on learning as much as possible to form a peaceful community.
Christine’s journey with JWL began in early 2021, when she enrolled in the Certificate in Liberal Studies, with a view to progressing to the BA in Sustainable Development and eventually “lead the others on how important this field is […]."
Yousuf joined the Learning Facilitator programme in Kakuma Refugee Camp, to become a better teacher.
Collette applied for the Creative Writing and Design programme because she loves to write, but also as part of her desire to challenge an existing notion within the community that "design and technology is not for girls."
The day may seem never-ending for some in these times of confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic but for Innocent and his staff at GLAP (God Loves All People) Enterprises, there aren’t enough hours in a day. They are stepping up production of soap to be made available in Kakuma Refugee Camp and throughout Turkana West (Kenya).
“I hope that running the business in my community will be a good opportunity for me and the villagers to develop our village as a sustainable tourist destination,” says Oayporn, who is currently studying on the JWL Ecotourism course in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
Since graduating from the Diploma, Joseph completed an Associate’s Degree and moved on to study towards a full degree in Public Administration, from Southern New Hampshire University (USA).
Shaker began the our Peace Leader programme at Domiz Camp in summer 2018 but has been a change-maker and involved in peace-fostering initiatives for some time. A Syrian Kurdish refugee, he believes that “people in the Middle East, they no longer want war in the region” and that youths are longing to return and rebuild the community.
Joyce, from Rwanda, had long dreamt about an opportunity to further her education. She has been living in Malawi’s Dzaleka refugee camp. As a mother of five children it was challenging but with her husband’s support, JWL’s flexibility, and being able to leave her children at JRS’ day-care centre, she finally completed the JWL Diploma programme in summer 2018. This, she finds, is “a testimony of courage, hard work and determination” on her part.
