Rising Above
AN EDUCATION IS THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE SOMEONE
Nelson Mandela once said that education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. This is precisely what drives humanitarian Deborah Henry, who has dedicated her life to ensuring refugee children in Malaysia are given equal access to education via Fugee School, which she established in 2009 for this very reason.
Looking back, it seems that 12 years have passed in the blink of an eye. Starting off with providing basic math and English lessons to four children from the Somali refugee community, the school has grown tremendously and now provides a holistic academic education as well as creative and life skills to equip their 200 students aged 4 to 20 years old with the right tools and opportunities for a better life for themselves and their families.
In spite of the pandemic raging on, Fugee School continues to be kept open as Henry believes it’s important to keep the children mentally stimulated and to have a routine. “We’re very blessed that we’ve got a good team and so we’re able to keep it to a certain standard,” she says. “It’s also important to remember that a lot of these families, like any marginalised family, tend to live in a much smaller space and don’t have the luxury of having different rooms in the house. So if the kids did not have school and a routine, especially in challenging times like this, it would really be mentally dire for them and their families. Plus most of these families have no laptops or tablets, they only have phones which they all share, presenting challenges to online learning.”
Recognising the need to help their students pursue
