Open Universities for Refugees

Open Universities for Refugees (OUR) is an independent, non-profit and a for-humanitarian-purpose initiative to build knowledge networks and consortia to offer higher education to communities in need.

Launched by Gul Inanc FRSA OUR is designed to help meet the higher educational needs of communities in protracted refugee/displacement situations globally. 

By using technology and fostering a culture of institutional openness and inclusion, OUR aims to harness the expertise of higher education institutions to transcend existing borders of knowledge sharing and hitherto impermeable geo-cultural boundaries. 

Through the provision of higher education, OUR seeks to:

• Enhance international awareness and understanding of the need to contribute to the higher education of refugees and displaced peoples.
• Bring together institutions which offer, or are willing to offer, higher education courses and/or diploma and certificate programs to refugees and displaced peoples.
• Offer a model for self-selecting organizations, institutions, foundations and individuals to network, share their expertise, reflect, develop best practice and collaborate systematically to identify and offer appropriate higher education opportunities to the individuals and communities who need them most.
• Build projects to utilize existing and emerging knowledge systems to address common fundamental-foundation stone issues and simultaneously offer site specific relevance. 

Currently they are conducting two projects:

• Project Acacia- partnering with UNHCR for the urban refugees of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• Project Ardic-partnering Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey for the camp refuges in Gaziantep and Adiyaman, Turkey.

Find out more on the website: www.initiativeour.org 

Please note that the website will be updated when the on-site assessment visit in KL is finalised. The onsite assessment visit in Gaziantep will be between 29 April- 3 June.