Back to School

The first week of September marks the moment when many students make their way back to school. Through several of our programs, we provide this same opportunity for students from the Global South to continue their education in Canada. This year, we welcomed over 200 bright, young students from countries around the world to post-secondary institutions across Canada.

Student Refugee Program (SRP)

This year, WUSC Local Committees from the across the country helped us welcome our largest cohort of students through our SRP. Nearly 150 young refugees travelled from Kenya, Malawi, Malaysia, Jordan and Lebanon to start a new chapter of their lives in Canada. Thanks to the incredible support of our institutional partners and individual donors, this number has nearly doubled since last September.

Our globally-recognized Student Refugee Program is the only one in the world to combine resettlement with opportunities for higher education. It rests upon a one-of-a-kind youth-to-youth sponsorship model that engages over 1,000 students in Canada each year. Together, we have supported over 1,600 young refugees since the program began in 1978.

International Student Management (ISM)

This September, we also welcomed 10 new Batswana students to Canada. Upon their arrival, the students participated in a three-day orientation in Ottawa on a variety of topics including safety, health and wellness, and money management. As they now make their way to post-secondary institutions across Canada, we will remain closely connected to these students throughout their studies to support their adjustment to living in Canada and ensure their success.

This program strives to help youth secure jobs in Botswana upon graduation and contribute to their community’s and country’s development. Since 1981, WUSC has been partnering with the Botswana Ministry of Education to administer scholarships and place bright and talented Batswana students in postsecondary institutions across Canada. The ISM program has a remarkable success rate, with 92% of students completing their education in Canada and returning to their country of origin to begin their careers.

Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program (PCBF)

This year, 134 scholars from 29 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean will attend school in Canada through PCBF, a 20% increase from last year’s cohort. Forty of these students – 14 women and 26 men – have already arrived to start their first semester at a Canadian post-secondary institution this fall, the vast majority of whom are entering post-graduate programs.

PCBF is designed to build institutional capacities by training nationals from developing countries of La Francophonie. Jointly managed by WUSC and the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), this program is a long-standing Government of Canada initiative which has awarded 2,400 scholarships since 1987.