Summary
The forced migration of over 100 million people—representing 1% of the global population—is one of the world’s starkest challenges. One area with great potential to make an impact on this challenge, and the lives of vulnerable children and youth, is in education. The “minimum standards for education in emergencies, chronic crises and early reconstruction” were first elaborated in 2004, but to meaningfully support children and youth in refugee settings programs must go beyond and seek models and methods that would allow children to thrive, contributing to the rebuilding of their societies and the chance for long-term peace.
Uganda has a population of 45 million and hosts over 1.5 million refugees making it an ideal location to develop, test and replicate new models to support refugee and displaced populations, with the opportunity for significant impact.
The Ubumwe: Arts for Education and Public Health with Refugee Children and Youth was a pilot program implemented in Kyangwali refugee settlement in western Uganda by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Teachers College, in partnership with Building African Communities Opportunities (BACO) Foundation, Hopelink Action Foundation (HAF) Uganda, AfriChild Center at Makerere University, and two New York City-based organizations, Artolution and Arts Ignite.
The project aimed to bolster psychosocial and educational outcomes among children and youth through the integration of arts in education and community spaces. The project team created culturally relevant arts education curricular materials that were tested in schools for their usability, acceptability and feasibility in meaningfully supporting children and youth in school and among their communities.
In Partnership With:
- Building African Communities Opportunities (BACO) Foundation,
- Hopelink Action Foundation (HAF) Uganda,
- AfriChild Center at Makerere University
- Artolution
- Arts Ignite
Team
Project Team
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Mary Mendenhall
Teachers College, Columbia UniversityProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altMary Mendenhall, Ed.D., is an Associate Professor in the International and Comparative Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University.
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Mark Canavera
Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning NetworkProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altMark Canavera is the co-director of the Care and Protection of Children (CPC) Learning Network, an entity housed at the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health that convenes...
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Juliana Bol
Columbia UniversityProject LeadRead Full Bio arrow_right_altJuliana Bol, PhD, is interested in evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of health system strengthening approaches in conflict-affected and fragile settings.
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Max Frieder
ArtolutionProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altMax Frieder, Ed.D., is the Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of the international community-based public arts education organization Artolution.
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Lindsay Roberts Greene
Arts IgniteProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altLindsay Roberts Greene (she/her) is a performing arts professional and the exemplification of her motto, "artistry onstage and off!" Hailed as a "combination of vocal power and tenderness,"...
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M. Claire Greene
Program on Forced Migration and HealthProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altM. Claire Greene, PhD MPH, is an epidemiologist and implementation scientist interested in identifying opportunities to improve population mental health through community- and systems-level interventions.
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Ochaka Richard Okot
HAF UgandaProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altOchaka Richard Okot is a Clinical Psychologist and the Executive Director of HAF Uganda. Okot has been investing his time and resources in promoting a peaceful future, the right to education...
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Kemigisha Richardson
Teachers College, Columbia UniversityProject TeamRead Full Bio arrow_right_altKemigisha Richardson, Kemigisha is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is passionate about understanding and strengthening the role of social and...