EU-funded scholarship programmes are helping young Syrian refugees pursue an education, learn hands-on job skills and become self-reliant in tough circumstances. But thanks to projects financed by the €1.9 billion EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, these young people with hopes and dreams can apply for scholarships and set their sights on a brighter future.

Here is a look at some of these initiatives and the Syrians they have helped:

– Maram Malsi, who came to Jordan’s capital Amman in 2011, was able to take up medical lab studies thanks to EDU-SYRIA. The €17.6 million project – which has also received funding from the European Neighbourhood Instrument in addition to support from the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis – gives Syrian refugees living in Jordan access to the country’s higher education system. The goal is to help them secure jobs and stable livelihoods through both knowledge and know-how.

– Rasha Rifaai, who fled to Lebanon in 2014 after finishing high school, was able to pursue studies in early childhood education thanks to the SPARK project. The EU Trust Fund’s €18.5 million initiative with some 2 484 beneficiaries gives refugees and disadvantaged local youth in Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey access to scholarships for Bachelor programmes.

– The €12 million HOPES initiative has helped thousands of Syrians and young people in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey through scholarships, academic counselling, university-based English and study skills courses, as well as funding for innovative short-term education projects. Thanks to a HOPES scholarship, Mohammad Al-Deiri became the first Syrian living in the sprawling Zaatari refugee camp to graduate from a Jordanian university.

To date, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis has financed almost 6 000 scholarships.

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Press release

EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis