Education for refugee girls

Effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards Ensuring Refugee Women Access Education
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Abstract
The effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards promoting access to education among refugee women will be explored. Uganda has experienced an increase in the number of refugees entering the country from a surge in civil wars among neighboring countries such as Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The increase in number of refugees also can be attributed to Uganda’s open border approach. Data on the amount of funding provided to promote access to education among refugee women will be collected from select websites of the Uganda government as well as UNHCR. Time series data will be used spanning 30 years. The quantitative data collected will be analyzed using statistical software. It is expected that the effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards promoting access to refugee women has dwindled. The underlying reason behind the dwindled effort by Uganda and UNHCR towards promoting access to education among refugee women will be discussed.
Introduction
This research will investigate the effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards promoting education among refugee women. This will predominantly revolve around evaluating the amount of funding that Uganda and UNHCR has provided to promote access to education among refugee women over time. Providing education to refugee women will not only cushion refugee women from exploitation – sexual exploitation and early marriages, but also will increase their access to employment opportunities.

Statement of the problem
This research will investigate the effort – primarily the amount of funding – provided by Uganda and UNHCR towards ensuring that refugee women access education.
Research questions
1. What is the amount of money that Uganda and UNHCR have provided towards ensuring that refugee women between 13 and 35 years access education?
2. What is the average literacy level among refugee women between 13 and 35 years?
3. Is there a correlation between educating refugee women and decreased incidence of civil wars?
Justification of the study
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is categorical that basic education is a right to every child, and neither poverty nor circumstance ought not to be a hindrance. However, many a times education is overlooked by humanitarian assistance. In fact, on 2% of humanitarian assistance was devoted to education of refugee persons in 2015 (Thomas, 2016).
Literature review
Sen (2004) informs that capability approach focuses on what a person is able to do and be in light of the available resources (quality of life) and access to justice (freedom of choice). Collier (2003) maintains that conflicts result to the displacement of persons in affected countries that poses a challenge to neighboring nations as well as the region. Uvin (2007) explores the shift from right to development to the right-based approach. This entails the formulation of development agendas based on clear claims and processes. Hoeffler and Reynal-Querol (2003) contend that civil wars result to significant economic costs and human costs not only during the civil war, but also after the civil war has stopped. Lischer (2006) holds that humanitarian agencies ought to exercise caution when providing assistance to refugees in refugee camps not to blindly militarize refugees in the course of offering humanitarian assistance. A missing element in the past studies is the effort by the host country and humanitarian agencies towards ensuring that refugees, especially women access an education.
Methodology
Data collection will entail gathering secondary data from select websites of Ugandan government and UNHCR to establish the amount of funds set aside to promote the provision of education to refugee women and children. Specifically, time series data spanning 30 years will be relied upon. The quantitative electronic data collected will be analyzed using statistical software to measure the effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards the education of refugee women and children.
Expected results
The effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards the education of refugees has dwindled over the years.
Discussion
The absence of a well-funded national policy in Uganda and the diversion of the attention of UNHCR from the African crisis to the refugees in Syria and Iraq can be linked to the dwindled effort of Uganda and UNHCR to promote access to education among refugee women and children.
Conclusion
It is evident that the effort of Uganda and UNHCR towards promoting access to education among refugee women and children has dwindled. This situation can be improved by increasing the funds allocated towards ensuring that refugee women access education.
References
Collier, P. (2003). Breaking the conflict trap: Civil war and development policy. World Bank
Publications.
Hoeffler, A., & Reynal-Querol, M. (2003). Measuring the costs of conflict. Washington, DC:
World Bank.
Lischer, S. K. (2006). Dangerous sanctuaries: refugee camps, civil war, and the dilemmas of
humanitarian aid. Cornell University Press.
Sen, A. (2004). Capabilities, lists, and public reason: continuing the conversation. Feminist
economics, 10(3), 77-80.
Thomas, M. (2016). Why education is so important for refugees around the world. Global
Citizen. Retrieved 23 November 2016, from https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/the-iceberg-that-will-sink-our-kids/
Uvin, P. (2007). From the right to development to the rights-based approach: how ‘human rights’
entered development. Development in practice, 17(4-5), 597-606.