In August 2020, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Kyrgyz Republic conducted an online summer camp for 17 children from refugee and asylum seeker families to help them cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation.
In August 2020, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Kyrgyz Republic conducted an online summer camp for 17 children from refugee and asylum seeker families to help them cope with the challenges posed by the COVID-19 situation.
UNHCR’s implementing partners in Kyrgyzstan identified a number of challenges that refugee children face during online learning, such as language barriers, poor internet connection and psychological burden. Lack of space for homeschooling and the inability to leave house also affected the mental health of children and became a challenge for their parents. Refugee families voiced the need for supportive activities that will help their children develop new skills and better prepare for new academic conditions.
To meet this request, UNHCR organized an online summer camp with the support of “The Foundation to Support Educational Initiatives”. The online summer camp became a good opportunity for participants to communicate with their peers and other people besides family members, helped them prepare for the new academic year, improved their skills and opened up new talents.
The summer camp was held from 10 to 21 August 2020 for four hours a day for children aged 11 to 17 years. During these two weeks, the children gained new knowledge and developed IT, financial, writing and English skills. Yalda, a 15-year-old (?), was interested in programming: “The camp program was very intense and interesting, but I especially liked the IT course. I think IT will become my future profession.”
During the summer camp, the children learnt how to use online platforms such as Zoom, Webex etc. These skills are very important as the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic announced that the first quarter of the next school year will be distance learning.
The summer camp also helped children develop communication and leadership skills through joint projects, presentations, courses, games, arts and sports activities. “I think this camp has become a family for me and we have all become closer and friendlier,” said 16-year-old Ahmadi Ali. Children with language barriers had a great opportunity to practice and improve their Russian language through daily communication with peers and interactive activities and games. At the end of the camp, 11year- old Taiba learned a monologue from the book by Chingiz Aitmatov in Russian.
Thanks to the summer camp, participants from the cities of Bishkek and Osh were able to get to know each other and even make friends. One of the participants from Osh, 11-year-old Salma: “These two weeks have helped us take our minds off the coronavirus situation, have fun and learnt a lot of new things.” Also, the online summer camp provided participants with disabilities with the opportunity to communicate and interact with peers.
Currently, 107 refugee and asylum-seekers children are studying in the Kyrgyz Republic, including 12 children who have reached school age and are starting school this year. The COVID-19 crisis has significantly affected the educational prospects for refugees who must contend with linguistic and technological challenges. Prior to the summer camp, UNHCR in Kyrgyzstan organized additional online lessons for refugee children to help them improve their language skills and get used to distance learning. UNHCR will continue to work with partners in the Kyrgyz Republic during the pandemic to provide further educational support to refugees and asylum seekers.
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