Learning opens doors that displacement tried to close.

We know that jumpstarting a career takes more than just finding a decent job. It also requires the curiosity, discipline, and desire to learn and grow. RJS clients already know this. Many already have degrees, but many more had to flee their countries before they could complete their higher education.

Based on our coaching sessions and client feedback, we often heard that our clients were eager and determined to continue their education that was interrupted because of displacement. This informed our initiative to conduct a needs assessment to explore the goals, questions, and interest of our clients in pursuing further education, training and upskilling.

Here are some of the highlights from the 52 responses we received:

Age Range of respondents (approximately): 56% were 29 to 35+ years old 22% were 18-24 years old 22% were 25-28 years old

Nationality: 86% originally came from countries within Africa—DRC Congo, Sudan, Cameroon, Rwanda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somali, Nigeria and Yemen.

Degrees interested in pursuing 43% wanted to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree 36.5% wanted to pursue a Master’s Degree 12.5 % wanted to pursue another training, course or upskilling program 8% wanted to pursue a PhD

Areas in which they would like guidance: ● What materials they needed ready when applying ● Access to language proficiency exams and study materials ● Learning how to elevate their writing ● How to identify, apply for and obtain a scholarship ● How to prepare for online or in-person interviews ● Building resilience and confidence when navigating what can be a frustrating process

To help us think through and reflect on this data, we assembled an Educational Task Group. This group includes volunteers who are engaged in supporting individuals from marginalized communities in accessing higher education, as well as those with lived experience as a refugee.

Online Course Offerings We know that degreed programs are not the only way to learn and develop. In 2025, we partnered with LinkedIn, Coursera, Duolingo English test, and Google Learning to provide free access to hundreds of courses, For example:

• 53 clients accessed Grow with Google on Coursera. (This group has invested** 326 hours of learning**! Completing 886 videos, 506 readings and 335 assessments!
• 3 clients completed a language exam with Duolingo’s English Test and received a certificate that can be used in the university application process;
• 53 clients are taking advantage of the free courses pre provided on LinkedIn Premium Accounts.

Looking Forward to 2026

We are committed to doing more, but we need your help! If you, too, believe that access to education is an important pathway to a successful career, we invite you to be part of the effort to expand our services to include educational support!

Volunteer to be an academic mentor, or Donate to help empower more of our clients to pursue their goals of higher education.