Higher and Further Education Opportunities and Perspectives for Syrians and vulnerable youth in Lebanon
Due to the conflict in Syria, more than seven million Syrians have been displaced internally and around five million have fled the country, finding refuge in neighbouring countries. Lebanon is with approximately one million registered individuals considered the country in the world with the highest per capita ratio of refugees from Syria. As a result of the protracted crisis and local political and economic difficulties, the higher education system in Lebanon has been heavily affected and a situation has arisen where only 6% of the Syrian youth in Lebanon between the ages of 18 and 30 are currently enrolled at Lebanese higher education institutions, a figure that stood before the crisis at 26%.
Within this context, HOPES-LEB aims at improving livelihood prospects through higher education opportunities for vulnerable Lebanese youth and refugees from Syria in Lebanon thus increasing their chances for a better future.
The life span of the project is from April 2020 until December 2023.
HOPES-LEB follows a comprehensive approach covering the entire educational pathway for higher education, from preparation for university studies to access to the labour market.
- Scholarship Fund: HOPES-LEB provides a broad spectrum of 1,000 scholarships for vulnerable young Lebanese and refugees from Syria. Students benefit from preparation courses for high school students, regular academic university studies (Bachelor and Masters) and further qualification courses for graduates increasing employability and entrepreneurial chances.
- Academic Counselling: The provision of information and advice through the counselling process helps students to make decisions along the educational pathway enabling them to identify adequate offers that might help them to achieve their goals.
- Funding for institutional capacity development: HOPES-LEB provides tailor-made support and funding for innovative short-term education projects implemented by local institutions to address the specific needs of students and alleviate bottlenecks related to access to and completion of higher education, and better preparation for the labour market.
- Stakeholder Dialogue: Through coordination meetings and local events, HOPES-LEB continues to facilitate national stakeholder dialogue and the coordination of interventions in the higher and further education sector related to the Syrian crisis in Lebanon.
- Regional Alumni Network: Together with the other higher education EUTF-funded projects in the region, a unified regional alumni community and network of EUTF scholarship holders in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey is being developed to facilitate exchange and increase their further educational and labour market prospects at the regional and international levels.
The project is a continuation of the HOPES regional project (April 2016-August 2020) and seeks to provide better access to quality further and higher education opportunities and support to higher education and local institutions in Lebanon.
Further Information
- Project website: http://www.hopes-madad.org/
- Contact: lebanonhopes-madad.org
- Short description HOPES-LEB [PDF 180.67 KB]
The EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian crisis, the EU Madad Fund
EU© EU
The HOPES-LEB project is funded by the European Union, through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the ‘EU Madad Fund’. The EU Madad Fund was established in 2014 in order to allow for a coordinated response to the Syrian crisis and to provide Syrian refugees and host communities in the countries neighbouring Syria with the needed support. To date, the EU Madad Fund has mobilised 2.2 billion Euro for projects in the spheres of education, livelihood, health, protection and water management. Find out more here.
