AAU Participates in A Dialogue Session of HOPES Project Titled “Higher Education & the Syrian Crisis”

AAU participated in a dialogue session at the local level titled Higher Education and the Syrian Crisis: Innovative Projects within the framework of the Hope Program Grant. This event took place on Wednesday, 30/1/2019 in the Gerasa Amman Hotel in Jordan. This session was organized by the HOPES Project which is funded by the EU Regional Trust Fund “MADAD” and was executed by the German Academic Exchange Service “DAAD” in cooperation with the British Council, Campus France and the Dutch Organization for Internationalization in Education “Nuffic”. The session included opening speeches delivered by Mrs. Maria Rosa Vittorito, the representative of the Delegation of the European Union to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the MADAD Fund and by Dr. Karsten Walbiner, the Manager of the HOPES Project. It also included panel discussions and projects presentations for AAU, Yarmouk University, the Center of Strategic Studies at the University of Jordan, the Arab Open University, Jesuit Refugee Service, Safa Foundation and Luminus Technical University College. This dialogue session discussed projects within the framework of the HOPES Program grant and proposed more recommendations and approaches that could be adopted at the national level to assist refugee students, host communities and institutions alike. This meeting is part of a series of partner dialogues organized by the project at the national level. The series brings together representatives from ministries, institutions of higher education and institutions interested in the higher education sector related to the Syrian crisis to discuss these projects, their achievements and the challenges they face in order to explore approaches that ensure maximum impact and sustainability. This Project aims to provide educational opportunities in the field of higher education for the Syrian refugees and the youth in host communities affected by the influx of refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. It is worth mentioning that the project offers fully funded scholarships, university guidance services and English language courses in addition to funding innovative initiatives and small educational projects.