Syrian refugees, entitled to receive 1.000 scholarships in Argentina

A new programme launched by the Argentine government and Blue Rose Compass, a USA non-government organisation that works with gifted refugees to find them education and jobs, is willing to guarantee 1.000 scholarships to refugees in Argentina. This unveiled plan, to be achieved over the next five years, has been implemented after facing criticism from human rights groups for stalling on a commitment last year to take in 3.000 Syrian refugees.

Argentina first announced that in July 2016. In September, Amnesty International questioned stalled plans on this resettlement work. However, Latin American countries have a long tradition of welcoming foreigners. Colombia has nearly 7 million internally displaced. Brazil has granted more than 8.000 Syrian humanitarian visas since 2013 and Boliva, for example, admitted approximately 40.000 Jewish refugees during the Second World War.

Blue Rose Compass is facing roadblocks in the United States. As its country closes doors to Syrian refugees, they have decided to collaborate with potentially unlikely country partners such as Argentina. The scholarships will be given to 1.000 Syrian refugee young girls and women – ages 18 to 34. “We want to be open to the world. We need to help solving problems that the world is facing. Syria is a world problem today”, said Esteban Bullrich, Argentina’s Minister of Education at the World Economic Forum for Latin America for Reuters.

Five million Syrians have fled into Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and to the European countries to escape the conflict among rebels, Islamist soldiers, the Government Army, etc. Lorna Solis, founder and CEO of Blue Rose Compass, said that “it is a catastrophe and lack of humanity that we are seeing this sever years in”. “These scholarships come at a very poignant time...This is an incredible gift and true leadership from Argentina’’, congratulated her.

Solis has tinged that the scholarships will be awarded to refugees living in Lebanon and Jordan with the first placements at universities in Buenos Aires before being extended to other cities in Argentina. In the next four months a group of 20 students will be chosen by Blue Rose Compass and the Argentine government. This selection will be increased to groups of 196 students over the next five years.

They will be offered intensive courses in Spanish and the opportunity to live with fellow university students to help them assimilate. The organisation is also looking to Mexico as another new option for refugee students, as a coalition of 16 universities.