Restore Refugee Education Programs:

A JRS/USA Policy Priority

Jesuit Refugee Service/USA strongly supports restoring and expanding refugee education programs that provide structure, safety, and a pathway to self-reliance for displaced children and adults. These programs, previously funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have been unjustifiably terminated including a highly effective program in Chad administered by JRS/USA.

Why Refugee Education Matters

Education is one of the most powerful tools for protecting and empowering forcibly displaced people:

• children benefit from structure, psychosocial stability, and protection from trafficking, exploitation, and gender-based violence

• youth and adults gain skills, confidence, and pathways to meaningful employment and self-reliance

• communities see reduced cycles of poverty and dependence

• post-conflict societies benefit from a generation prepared to rebuild and lead

In short, education programs:

• uphold human dignity

• reduce conflict risk

• strengthen global security

• offer hope and long-term impact

As noted in UNHCR’s education reports, forcibly displaced children are among the most likely to be out of school—and among the most at risk when educational services are withdrawn.

A Call for U.S. Leadership

JRS/USA urges the White House and Congress to:

• restore PRM- and USAID-funded refugee education programs

• ensure continuity of funding for programs that demonstrate proven impact

• implement the U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education 2024–2029

• uphold the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Reauthorization Act commitment

These steps would signal continued U.S. leadership in global humanitarian response and ensure that forcibly displaced people are not denied their basic right to education.

Help us defend education for refugees

Send a message to your elected officials urging them to restore international education programs and support the implementation of the U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education 2024-2029.

Consider making a donation to our education programs in light of U.S. foreign aid cuts.

For more information on JRS education programs, visit the links below:

• Global Education Initiative