There is a growing global crisis in education for displaced teenagers. New and ongoing  conflicts have driven forced displacement across the globe with the number of refugees having increased threefold over the past decade. The effect on refugee education is alarming, particularly in conflict zones: only 37% of secondary-age refugees attend school and across 23 conflict-affected countries, 27 million school age children are out of school. 

Alsama has developed an effective, scalable model that directly addresses the educational gaps facing out-of-school youth. Their rapid education model has already proven successful in Lebanon. Alsama’s goal is to now transform refugee education worldwide and package their proven education model into a replicable, scalable franchise.  

ALMT funding will contribute to Alsama’s pilot of the franchise model in Syria.  This is a critical step in the journey and will test the model’s adaptability in the context of post-conflict Syria, where educational infrastructure has been severely disrupted, and where political shifts have created uncertainties in the education sector. It will also determine how involved Alsama as the franchiser must be for the centre’s overall success. This pilot will serve as a foundation for future franchise expansion, helping Alsama to refine their approach and ensure that the model can be replicated and scaled in other regions facing similar complex challenges.

Following the successful delivery of previous grants, this tranche of ALMT funding will contribute to providing continuous education for 100 students aged 11-18 in the pilot education centre in Jaramana (South-East Damascus, Syria). These students have all experienced war, trauma, abuse, early marriage and ISIS, and have had severely disrupted schooling.  Working with local partner Nissan, Alsama will provide 4 hours teaching per day in English, Arabic, Maths, and one hour per week exploring a range of topics from early marriage, gender based violence, women’s rights & LGBTQ+ rights.