faqs

Q1. Who are we and why was the RET created?
The Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust, headquartered in Geneva, with offices around the world, was founded in December 2000 by Mrs. Sadako Ogata, then United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in response to a crying need for post-primary education for refugees and the internally displaced. The RET was purposefully founded as an independent, impartial, non-partisan organisation, with no religious or political affiliation, to fill a mammoth void which no other organisation could amply address.

Q2. Is the RET a religious or political organisation?
The Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust was purposefully founded as an independent, impartial, non-partisan organisation, with no religious or political affiliation.

Q3. What is the legal status of the RET?
We are legally registered as a foundation in Switzerland, Belgium, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Kenya, Ecuador, Colombia and in the USA, as a 501(C)3.

Q4.a. Is the RET part of UNHCR?
b. Does the RET receive financial support from UNHCR?
c. Is the RET an UNHCR implementing partner?
a. The RET is an independent organisation, and not a part of UNHCR. We were born out of the relationship with UNHCR, at the time of the 50th Anniversary of UNHCR when Mrs. Ogata was High Commissioner for Refugees.
b. The RET works closely with UNHCR to ensure working in the priority areas where refugees need our attention the most. We currently have a Memorandum of Understanding with UNHCR, which fosters a respectful, complementary cooperation and symbiosis with UNHCR.
c. Currently, the RET is an UNHCR implementing partner in Burundi, Chad and Colombia.

Q5. Who are the partners of the RET?
The Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust selects implementing partners, in concert with UNHCR and after a stringent review at the RET to ensure that the Implementing Partners meet our standards of quality, integrity, transparency and harmonise with our organisational philosophy, ethics, and code of conduct.
We have a Memorandum Of Understanding with UNHCR, IOM and IBE-UNESCO, but maintain our independence in making all decisions, including selection of partner organisations.

Q6. In what areas does the RET provide assistance?
We, at the Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust focus in three main areas:
Support to refugee/displaced students
Support to refugee/displaced teachers
Support to school community (both refugee, IDP and local host population, as much as possible)

Q7. Where are the activities of the RET?
To date the RET has been able to directly help 200,000 beneficiaries - students and teachers. We are active on three continents across 14 countries with 41 programmes in: Chad, Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Guinea and South Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Colombia and Ecuador. We have completed work in Congo, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania.

Q8. What kind of help does the RET provide?
The Foundation for the RET focuses its attention and efforts on providing:

Q9. Refugees, by definition, are only in the host country for a short period of time -- why would you invest in them during such a transitional time?
Of course, by definition, refugees would be displaced for a short term, however no one can predict how long refugees will stay refugees. The realities of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan demonstrate to us that some of these refugees have been there since 1979. The same applies in Tanzania for the Burundian refugees, many of whom have been there 30 years.

We are realistic that not all refugees repatriate due to many reasons such as security, lack of infrastructure, lack of work opportunities, lack of educational institutions, etc. in their home countries. As such, we are devoted to ensuring that no matter where the refugees are, the education we provide stays with each person for a lifetime and enables and empowers them to be self-sufficient.

Our educational activities include either formalised or non-formalised post-primary education, including vocational training, which empowers the refugees to repatriate and be instrumental in the reconstruction of their countries.

However, we recognise that a considerable number of refugees will not return to their country of origin.

Formal and informal post-primary education, vocational training and/or life skill training provides them with the assets to make something of their lives, also if they locally integrate in the host country’s society.
The Development Assistance for Refugees Strand within the Convention Plus initiative of UNHCR is targetting also Integration through Local Integration (DLI) and is also addressing these circumstances.
In the case of refugees remaining in the host country, the RET strives to achieve integration and social harmonisation of refugees into the local population

It is the commitment of the RET to ensure equal access to all of the refugee youth, including girls and those with special needs. We believe that if young people are not adequately protected and offered ample opportunities to learn skills required to live productive and independent lives, they are likely to contribute to the next round of conflict. Post-primary education provides a way out of hardship and despair.

Q10. Refugees, by definition, are only in the host country for a short period of time -- why would you invest in them at a time when they are about to repatriate?
Of course, by definition, refugees would be displaced for a short term, however, the realities of the Afghan refugees in Pakistan demonstrate to us that some of these refugees have been there since 1979. The same applies in Tanzania for the Burundian refugees, many of whom have been there 30 years.
However, even if the refugees are soon to be returning to their homes, our mission is to ensure that we enable them to be more self-reliant through either formalised or non-formalised post-primary education, including vocational training, such that they repatriate and be part of the reconstruction of their countries. It is our commitment to ensure equal access to all of the refugee youth, including girls and those with special needs. We believe that if young people are not adequately protected and offered ample opportunities to learn skills required to live productive and independent lives, they are likely to contribute to the next round of conflict. Post-primary education is a way out of hardship and despair.

Q11. Is the RET following an equal opportunities policy, i.e., gender, race, ethnic origin, age, etc.?

Indeed yes, it is the mission of the RET to provide equal access and opportunities for all. In fact, the RET focuses on promoting the advancement of female youth in vulnerable situations and cultures that typically may steer young women into early marriages, housekeeping chores, prostitution, trafficking, or even child soldiering.

Q12. What are the priorities for the RET? Does the RET only help refugees?

At the Foundation for the Refugee Education Trust, our core mandate is to first and foremost support refugees, empowering them with the lasting asset of post-primary education.

As the refugees return home, during this repatriation and early re-integration phase, our secong goal is to continue to provide transitional support ensuring sustainable development and building capacity in the education fora of the home country.

Thirdly, the core mandate of the RET also includes providing PPE to the other most numerous vulnerable group - those persons who are displaced internally within their own home countries. In many conflict-affected areas, we design our programmes to also help the local population, which often suffers from the burden of hosting large numbers of refugees.

Once someone can read and write, understand the complexity of life, has tasted culture and expression, he/she never forgets. It also prepares them to face problems, such as traumas, and to cope with these problems.

Distribution of relief items such as shelter, food, etc. is necessary and deserves ongoing support. No one is motivated to go to school with an empty stomach. The difference is that shelter and food are perishable while education is not; it is a lifelong asset.

Education is a 'conditio sine qua non' for a better long-term result of operations started in emergency situations. A skilled and well-educated refugee is so much more valuable for his environment and the future of his home country.

The RET provides durable solutions for sustainable development by starting with taking action in emergency situations, and by building capacity of the refugee and local community. The RET’s objectives are to bridge the transion period by continuing to offer educational programmes as refugees repatriate and return to their home countries.

It is the RET's philosophy that optimal results have to be obtained with the minimal input.

The RET is bringing down the operational costs through cooperation with reliable international and local partners in the countries where the RET is running programmes. The RET has nine field employees with four expatriate staff members based in the countries of operation: one Regional Representative and one Education Officer in Pakistan, one Representative in Kenya, and one Country Representative in Tanzania.

Through a close cooperation with reliable partners, the RET does not have to foresee an operational back-up (vehicles, housing, storage costs, etc.) since the partners on site have these facilities already. This frees more financial means to support the beneficiaries

Q13. What are the core competencies of the RET?
* Identify potential partners (professionals with expertise in our field)
* Strategically identify worldwide donors, marrying their objectives with our mission and the needs of our target beneficiaries
* Help local NGOs to introduce high quality and innovative proposals
* Select quality and innovative projects in key educational areas
* Develop and elaborate programmes, including harmonisation of different approaches, strengthening the skills of our partners, alleviating any of their weaknesses or challenges, searching for the use of different resources and the participation of multiple players to improve the effectiveness of our intervention, etc.
* Introduce new ways to work in the field of post-primary education for refugees
* Raising awareness and advocate: the RET is invited and takes part in conferences and seminars focusing on PPE and the RET is lobbying to convince donors of the urgent need to create transitional funding mechanisms to close the gap between Emergency and Development.

Q14. How does the RET monitor, evaluate, measure results, and report?
The RET has set up different methods of monitoring, follow-up, evaluation and reporting as follows:

* Performance Indicators are identified in the logical framework of the project/programme proposal for all areas to be evaluated; the RET measures all results against objectives and the performance indicators.
* Monthly report of structural progress from the regional representatives.
* Quarterly reports from the partners involved in the implementation of the programmes.
* Annual reports from the partners involved.
* Needs and Assets Assessment Field missions at initial stage of exploration when we evaluate the general situation, educational needs and possibilities to set up activities in a new area.
* Informal and frequent email and phone contacts with all people involved in the development of our activities
* Substantive and financial Donor reports are provided with the periodicity required, as specified in the beginning of the project/programme.

Q15.a. Where are you working and why did you make that choice?
b. Which criteria does the RET use to decide on its regions of interest?
a. Since our launch, we have been working in Tanzania with the Burundian, Rwandan, and Congolese refugees, in Pakistan with the Afghan refugees, and in Colombia with the internally displaced. We have completed work in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Sudan. Since 2004, we have added more projects in Pakistan, in the Republic of Congo, in South Africa and in Guinea. In October 2004, a RET Representational office has been opened in Nairobi, Kenya to be responsible for all projects in the East & Horn of Africa, and the Great Lakes Region. The RET also has field offices in Peshawar, NWFP of Pakistan, and in Kigoma, Tanzania.

b. Based on our Strategic Business Plan, and we have identified the areas of conflict around the world, in concert with UNHCR definitions. Our priority list is based on a number of criteria, amongst which we include the counsel and security recommendations of UNHCR, coupled with the availability of funds. Although we currently concentrate on a few countries, our goal is to provide education in as many areas affected by conflict as possible.