--- title: "Striving to educate" description: "IRAN: While we step up our efforts to support refugees with education, crowds gather to witness the end of an influential learning programme that addressed education and protection needs of Afghan refugee families." url: "https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2017/striving-to-educate" language: "en" published: "2017-07-17T09:00:00Z" modified: "2017-07-17T08:59:48Z" --- # Striving to educate Amir-Pasha Tabrizian-Pour Published 17. Jul 2017 [Iran](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=67) [Education](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=145) “Without an education and not being able to read and write, I felt blind. I really want to continue this path. I will definitely enroll in more courses and try to learn more and more,” says 15-year-old Faramarz. This article was first published more than 9 years ago IRAN: While we step up our efforts to support refugees with education, crowds gather to witness the end of an influential learning programme that addressed education and protection needs of Afghan refugee families. Most of the residents of Dashte-Zahmatkeshan, located in the outskirts of Kerman City, are working hard in local brick factories to secure stability for their families. “Dasht-e-Zahmatkeshan” means literally, “the plain of the hardworking people” – and most of its residents are Afghans who have escaped conflict in their homeland in search of new beginnings. But this beautiful day is special. From the early hours of the morning, crowds begin to gather on the side of a large, orange-coloured community centre located amidst the dust and sand, which cover the entire area. They are here to see the ending of a project that offered them an opportunity to acquire critical additional skills. Najiballah received his certificate for attending and successfully passing basic literacy, numeracy and life skills courses. Photo: NRC Najiballah received his certificate for attending and successfully passing basic literacy, numeracy and life skills courses. Photo: NRC ### A sense of pride Najiballah is one of them. When he arrives at the community centre, he suddenly finds himself in a ceremony with a range of officials, his peers, instructors and international organisations: all gathered to commend the will and determination of the refugees who wanted to shape their own future by improving their education. During the ceremony, his name is read at the podium and as he walks towards the stage, his smile widens. “It was a feeling I will never forget, getting so much credit,” says the 19-year-old. He enters the stage and receives his certificate for attending and successfully passing basic literacy, numeracy and life skills courses. It is handed to him by officials and supporters who understand the challenges associated with being a refugee, committed to making a difference. > I used to be so ashamed to not be able to read. I could not even find an address! I would stand under a street sign and ask others where I was. It made me so embarrassed. But now it’s different. I am not blind anymore. > > Najiballah (19), Afghan refugee in Iran. ### Strengthening families Najiballah is one of the 500 Afghan refugees who have taken part in an NRC-implemented project in Kerman, “Strengthening of Families in Displacement Contexts”. It aimed at addressing the education and protection needs of Afghan refugee families with children out-of-school. We have offered literacy and numeracy courses; life skills and good parenting classes; and conditional cash transfer assistance. This project enabled multiple members of the same family to take part in different courses, in order to strengthen the capacity and resilience of the entire family rather than just individuals. “Without an education and not being able to read and write, I felt blind. I really want to continue this path. I will definitely enroll in more courses and try to learn more and more,” says 15-year-old Faramarz, another refugee that has benefitted from the project. Shahzadeh was pregnant with the baby when she was attending the courses. At the time of the graduation, the baby was 15 days-old. “It was very difficult for me to attend the classes because I was about 8-9 months pregnant. But the subjects in the good parenting classes were too interesting for me as someone who was about to become a mother. So I did all my best to attend and learn,” she says. ### Protracted displacement and education For close to four decades, millions of Afghans have been living in Iran due to the very unstable and deteriorating security, political and economic situation in their own country. Given the large number of Afghans living in Iran and the duration of their stay, education support and longer-term interventions have been recognised as key priorities by both national and international stakeholders. ### Three ceremonies; three locations; many stories The “Strengthening of Families in Displacement Contexts” project ended just before spring 2017, and three graduation ceremonies were held in Kazemabad, Dasht-e-Zahmatkeshan and Sharafabad. Najiballah is there with his 15-year-old nephew who also received the courses. “My father passed away years ago and I had no one to support my education. I thought it was a good idea to enroll in the courses here. I used to be so ashamed to not be able to read. I could not even find an address! I would stand under a street sign and ask others where I was. It made me so embarrassed. But now it’s different. I am not blind anymore,” says Najiballah enthusiastically, after receiving his certificate. **About the project** - The latest statistics released by the Iranian Government indicate that 951,142 Afghans reside in the country as refugees; along with some 620,000 visa-holders and an estimated 1.5 to 2 million who are undocumented. * In 2015, the Iranian Supreme Leader issued a decree stating that all children, including Afghans, should have access to Education -irrespective of their legal status. Still, a number of barriers remain (such as financial, socio-economic or cultural obstacles) and its implementation is challenging. + The NRC-UNHRC education project “Strengthening of Families in Displacement Contexts” aimed at addressing the education and protection needs of Afghan refugee families with children out-of-school, and ended in April 2017. The project has supported 360 households. - The project was funded by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and implemented in five different locations across Kerman Province in 2016 and 2017. * NRC Iran is working in close collaboration with governmental and non-governmental national and international partners to provide and facilitate access to education for Afghan families, and for school-aged and out-of-school children. + NRC has also offered literacy and numeracy courses to adult women and men. Following the 2015 decree, NRC has expanded its education programme across the five provinces where it operates.