Tech Education for Refugee Kids in Egypt

Tech Education for Refugee Kids in Egypt

Al-Nahda Innovative Academy is a newly established learning center in the Maadi and AinShams sections of Cairo, Egypt for young people who are refugees from past and present wars. (We are about to start the second year of classes!) The word Al-Nahda is an Arabic word for revival or renaissance. This literally means a new beginning.

WHO we ARE (click) See our WhosWho of Teachers

What We Do and Provide:

Al-Nahda aims to provide quality education, particularly in STEM fields, to underserved communities, including refugees from South Sudan and Sudan.

The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and especially in Sudan and South Sudan, have had a devastating impact on education and the lives of children. This program provides a safe and supportive learning environment for refugee children who have experienced trauma.

English language proficiency is crucial for future opportunities. We help!

Al-Nahda aims to provide affordable and inclusive education, regardless of race or financial situation.

Al-Nahda functions as a safe haven for students, getting them off the streets and providing a structured environment. . We are exploring options for providing nutritious meals to students who may not have adequate food at home.

We will incorporate psychosocial support programs to address the trauma experienced by refugee children due to the ongoing conflicts.

Al-Nahda will actively promote gender equality and empower young women in STEM fields.

We will prioritize child protection and safeguarding measures to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for all students.

TERRY UPDATE: Al-Nahda Innovative Academy 2025 New Year Plan:

Al-Nahda will operate two programs this year:

1. Center for Computer literacy, programming and electronics:

This will be the main center which will be located in the AinShams area of Cairo, close to technical colleges. This is much closer to many students than the Maadi area we used last year.

WI will have one area dedicated as workshop and electronic space, and another one as computer lab. The reason for moving it there is the apparent demand for tech education in that area. Last year some students dropped out because of travelling time and difficulty.

2. High School: The high school branch will be located in Maadi, Cairo. We won’t have to rent our own space in Maadi as we already have a facility that we share with Egyptians or South Sudanese for Half days. Some of our students interested in electronics and computer literacy will need to go to our AinShams facility during nights / weekends.

The current emphasis on technology means that we should do everything possible to prepare the younger generation of refugees we work with for future higher education and high-tech jobs.. Most of our students will be refugees from Sudan and South Sudan escaping wars and persecution in their countries.

Refugees of African descent can't fit into Egypt social systems and hence can't access public school. There are "Learning Centers" [1] for refugee children in Cairo but they cover basic classes only, not Technology.

Al-Nahda integrates STEM education into its curriculum to ensure these students aren’t left behind in the tech revolution. The center serves age groups of 14 to 25 years old. In particular, we teach Electricity, Electronics, DataBases and Programming, Microcomputers (embedded systems) and Internet Of Things (IOT).

Background

Al-Nahda Innovative Academy was founded by Elijah Achiek (an Engineer and refugee from South Sudan), helped by Terry King, (a retired IBM Engineer from USA). (See WHO's WHO) The school was started out of our own pockets and some donations. NOW we really need funds to continue.

Our curriculum involves hands-on practice and projects in electronics. We aspire to have a system in place that will help and guide young individuals in discovering their talents and developing their passions about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Our motto is “Aspire to Innovate” because we believe innovation is the driving force of our modern economies. We believe that everyone should have access to STEM oriented education at an early age, and a perspective on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Many refugees here are in poverty and we feel only education can rise them up.

Looking back: Al-Nahda Innovative Academy operated last year with a main focus in Science, Technology and Engineering Education for high school students. We also ran a beginners Computer Literacy program and Graphics and Photography courses. Despite the limited resources, we managed to train 5 teachers in Electronics and Coding who will teach in 2025. We also ran a free summer programming course for our students (Python and SQL).

In December, Four of our high school students (names redacted) successfully completed their high school program and sat for south Sudan national examination equivalent to (GCSE and SAT). If God wills, they will be entering college this fall. This depends on whether they are lucky enough to get scholarships, as their parents can not afford to pay college tuition fees.

Our current step

We are moving to different buildings in Cairo. We have installed 10 computers. Our most active classes now are SQL Databases, Introduction to programming in python, And Microcomputer Electronics. We also have several students learning the basics of computers.

Financial Challenge

Our biggest issues last year were the financial constraints. Our program was mostly single-handledly sponsored by Terry King who provided 90% of the funds with help of some donations from Gofundme (1,900) contributors. Most of this went into renting the school facility, lunch program for teachers, Stipends for some teachers, and acquiring computers, electronics and many more needs. The other 10% was generated for student’s fees, of which about half of our high school students couldn’t afford paying, or ended up paying fraction of the fees. Annual fees were approximately $ 150 per student equivalent to 8000 Egyptian pounds.

Immediate Funding Level Needs:

2025 $15,000 Keep barely alive, pay rent, utilities, basic expenses

2025 $10,000 Above plus Enough furniture and equipment, some staff support

2025? $50,000 Above plus Electronics lab, new instructors salary, student kits / supplies

Another challenge is getting enough electronics components for our students. Fortunately Terry has brought back enough Arduino Microcomputer boards, ESP32 boards and other necessary electronics devices for now. Terry King also has connections in China through his small company yourduino.com but importing into Egypt is difficult.

OUR APPEAL TO YOU

We strongly believe that this is a call for humanity, and for young people and their families who have very little resources. Helping us set up this learning center is a step toward giving these students a chance to pursue their dreams. We can’t do it alone but with your support this is achievable.

[1] The word SCHOOL is controlled by the Egyptian Government

[2] In Egypt “schools” for refugees are managed by the UN High Commission on Refugees. They can not be labeled “Schools” but usually “Learning Centers”

CONTACTS:

Elijah Achiek: Contact: [email redacted]

Terry King Contact: (Use form below. THANKS! [email redacted]