World University Service of Canada has been mobilizing the Canadian post-secondary community to offer educational pathways for refugees for several decades through the Student Refugee Program (SRP). The SRP provides a one-of-a-kind partnership opportunity for universities, colleges, and CEGEPs to directly respond to the increasing need for durable solutions and higher education opportunities for refugees.…

At the 2017 World Bank annual meeting, an important theme was the call for new instruments and tools to mobilize private capital to fight poverty more effectively across the globe. Indeed, beyond available taxes and development assistance, it is estimated that $2.5 trillion in private financing is required annually to fully implement the Sustainable Development…

  On September 30th, over 6,000 individuals across the country gathered to participate in Ride for Refuge. This year, we were proud to walk and bike alongside 102 fellow members of the WUSC network. Together, we raised funds and awareness in support of the Student Refugee Program (SRP). So far this year, our network has…

Students from around the world arrive in Canada Every year in August and September, members from the WUSC community gather at airports across the country to welcome a new cohort of students from around the world to Canada. Through our various sponsorship and scholarship programs, these youth are given the opportunity to continue their studies…

Registration is now open for the 2018 WUSC and CECI International Forum   Deepening inequalities, forced displacement, climate change, and extremism are global challenges. They demand global solutions. Yet intensifying nationalism, xenophobia, and distrust of international cooperation are threatening our ability to collaborate across borders. How can we ensure we meet the scale of these…

Evidence and Lessons Learned from our Programming in Kenya A recent study by UNHCR on education for refugees reports that fewer than one in four refugee adolescents are currently enrolled in secondary school. Though hard to imagine, the situation is even worse in low-income countries, where the majority of refugees live and where fewer than…

Increasing access to quality higher education for refugee and displaced youth WUSC, in collaboration with Carleton University and York University’s Centre for Refugee Studies, will be convening representatives from Canadian post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders to explore how to increase access to higher education and employment for refugee and displaced youth, using technology and innovative…

Refugee girls face overwhelming barriers to accessing quality education. Beyond realities that affect many young women, such as early and forced marriage, early pregnancy, an unfair burden of domestic chores, and family financial constraints, refugee girls face further, unique challenges. With limited mobility and very few options for employment, refugee girls have limited incentives to…

Imagine having to rebuild your life in a new country. You are not a native speaker of the official languages. The food tastes different and your favourite ingredients are hard to find. The customs are unfamiliar and you feel uncertain in social settings. What would it take for you to begin to feel at home…

Since 1978, WUSC has supported over 1,700 refugee youth to resettle in Canada and continue their post-secondary education. Though they have lived many shared experiences as refugees, every one of these students has their own unique story. On Friday, the Washington Post shared Ayan Abdi’s story. Ayan is one of the students to be accepted…