At SLC, we’re joining millions of others on World Refugee Day to honour refugees around the globe. The UNHCR states that at least 79.5 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes, among whom nearly 26 million are refugees, around half of whom are under the age of 18.
June 20th, World Refugee Day, is an opportunity to celebrate the strength and courage of those who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
Through the work we do to support hundreds of refugees through our education programmes, we see the struggles they face, hear the stories they tell and witness the courage and resilience they display as they seek to change their lives for the better.
This year, in partnership with RefuAid and Maximpact, we have used our online teaching infrastructure to teach English language and communication skills to almost two hundred refugees on resettlement programmes in Northern Ireland, and over one hundred doctors, nurses and pharmacists around the UK.
We prepare those with healthcare qualifications from their home countries to pass the English tests they need to register with the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Pharmaceutical Council. Many others use our online self-study materials which we distribute for free to build their professional language skills prior to and in combination with tuition.
It’s an honour and source of pride for us to be able to do the little we do to enable the refugees we work with to rebuild their lives. Long may it continue. And long may the world recognise, empathise with, support and empower those with rights, needs and dreams just like everyone else.
