Advancing education for children displaced by war
There's the potential for a lost generation that would affect the Middle East and be felt around the world.
There’s another side to the conflict in the Middle East – one you don’t often hear about on the news.
More than four million Syrian refugees have been uprooted by war. Many families forced to flee their homes have sought shelter in transitional camps in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. They’ve lost their homes. They’ve lost their possessions. They’ve lost everything.
It’s a devastating reality. And so is what happens next – or doesn’t,rather.
“Two million kids in refugee camps are out of school right now. There’s the potential for a lost generation,” said U.S. Army veteran and entrepreneur Scott Quilty, who graduated from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Executive MBA program in 2015. “That’s not what this region needs. It’s not what any region needs.”
A lost generation wouldn’t just affect local communities in the Middle East – it would also have a significant impact on the world. The stakes are high. But rather than fixating on problems, Quilty is focused on possibilities. The region fraught with conflict is rich in opportunities to take action, drive change and restore hope, he says.
Step one: Increasing access to education.
Empowering a generation
Quilty enlisted in the Army after high school, eager to make a difference in the world. His passion grew over the course of his seven years on active duty. It continued after his service was cut short by a roadside bomb that took his arm and leg in 2006. And today, it’s the driving force behind one of his entrepreneurial pursuits.
To keep reading, see: http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/news/2016/11/Tent-Ed.
