Education for Urban Refugees

The Crisis:

As of 2015, 11 million people, have been displaced by the Syrian conflict.

More than 50% of these migrants and displaced people are children under the age of 18.

Most have been out of school for months, if not years. 

They were forced to flee their homes, and rebuild their lives without knowing if they will ever be able to return. 

The youngest in these communities  have felt the heaviest burden of the largest humanitarian disaster in history and  it is they who  face the most uncertain futures. 





Urban Youth Refugees in Turkey:

Turkey alone hosts close to 1.7 million refugees, where most reside outside of camps, and 50 percent  are estimated to be school- aged children.
Outside of camps, families struggle to find schools that offer Arabic language instruction for children.
Despite the huge size of this population, only 14 percent of primary school aged children outside of camps are enrolled in school in Turkey.

Its been five years, since the outbreak of the conflict, and it is clear that the initial emergency relief initiatives to help refugees must now evolve into longer term strategies.

Our project is an attempt to address this growing need.


Our Project:

Small Projects Istanbul (SPI) is a  grassroots organization, leading several educational and youth empowerment projects in Istanbul. We work to provide access to supplemental education that will assist students and families from Syria to succeed in Turkey and beyond, paving the way for brighter futures.

Currently, we are creating a makeshift school in an open terrace in the Capa neighborhood of Istanbul, that will cater to 20 children between the ages of 5-15. Most children have not been to school for nearly 3 years. Our focus will be on leading  Turkish language and Art classes for children.  We will also hold a small Turkish language class for their parents simultaneously.

All funds will be used to purchase a tent for the terrace, tables, chairs, books and  school supplies.


We see this project as the first small step to addressing the needs of the urban refugee population in Istanbul.

These classes will offer refugee children stability, security, purpose, and most importantly the opportunity to heal, rebuilding social capital for their futures.


Our Hope:

We believe education is essential to the development and security of future generations not only in Syria and the the region, but also in the world. While the war rages on, SPI is helping to stop the downward spiral into unemployment and poverty that curtailed education threatens to create for members of what is being called Syria’s “lost generation.”
With education , people gain the skills and knowledge necessary to rebuild and reclaim their futures. With education, there is hope.

Help us restore this hope for the urban migrant and refugee population in Istanbul!