DAFI
Encyclopedia
The Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund (German
: Deutsche Akademische Flüchtlings Initiative Albert Einstein or DAFI) grants deserving young refugee
s scholarships at universities
, college
s and polytechnic
s in their host countries. The programme, the only of this kind in the world, has been sponsored since 1992 by the government of Germany
.
resources development as part of a broader strategy of promoting self-reliance and durable solutions for refugees. Refugees with higher education
qualifications are more likely to attain self-reliance.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), who is administering the DAFI programme worldwide, considers repatriation as the preferred solution for refugees. A DAFI graduate who returns home not only finds a durable solution for themselves and their family, but is also likely to find employment
and contribute to the reconstruction and rehabilitation process for the whole community
.
Ex-DAFI students are sometimes the only doctors
or teachers in their area of return. While the numbers of DAFI students are small, their impact is huge because of their areas of expertise. Some work in business
and government
, others are employed by UNHCR and other United Nations
agencies.
Countries of study: DAFI students enrolled in courses in 38 countries.
Countries of origin: Refugees on DAFI courses came from 37 countries.
Length of studies: Between three and four years
Main study subjects: Education and teacher training; commerce
/business; medicine
and health
; social studies
; mathematics
and computer sciences
; engineering
; agriculture
, forestry
and fisheries
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
: Deutsche Akademische Flüchtlings Initiative Albert Einstein or DAFI) grants deserving young refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s scholarships at universities
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and polytechnic
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
s in their host countries. The programme, the only of this kind in the world, has been sponsored since 1992 by the government of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Refugee scholarship programme
The main aim of the DAFI programme is to contribute to humanHuman
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
resources development as part of a broader strategy of promoting self-reliance and durable solutions for refugees. Refugees with higher education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
qualifications are more likely to attain self-reliance.
DAFI objectives
- Develop qualified human resources to contribute to the reconstruction of the countryCountryA country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
of origin upon repatriation; - Achieve self-reliance of the beneficiary studentStudentA student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
and his/her familyFamilyIn human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
through gainful employment; - Serve as a model for other refugees to further their education, particularly femaleFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
students; - Contribute to the refugee community – as teachersTeachersTeachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers , one of the five Ascension Gift Ministries* Teachers , a British sitcom* Teachers Teachers may refer to:* Teachers, people who provide schooling for pupils and students* Teachers (ministry), one of the...
or through other work – pending a durable solution or repatriation.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR), who is administering the DAFI programme worldwide, considers repatriation as the preferred solution for refugees. A DAFI graduate who returns home not only finds a durable solution for themselves and their family, but is also likely to find employment
Employment
Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. An employee may be defined as:- Employee :...
and contribute to the reconstruction and rehabilitation process for the whole community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
.
Ex-DAFI students are sometimes the only doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
or teachers in their area of return. While the numbers of DAFI students are small, their impact is huge because of their areas of expertise. Some work in business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, others are employed by UNHCR and other United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
agencies.
Some key facts and figures for 2006
Number of students: 1,067Countries of study: DAFI students enrolled in courses in 38 countries.
Countries of origin: Refugees on DAFI courses came from 37 countries.
Length of studies: Between three and four years
Main study subjects: Education and teacher training; commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
/business; medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
; social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
; mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and computer sciences
Computer Sciences
Computer Sciences can refer to:*The general field of computer science*Computer Sciences Corporation, the Fortune 500 Information Technology company...
; engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
; agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
and fisheries