A) DAFI PROGRAMME
Refugee Status in Ethiopia
Protecting and assisting refugees is part of Ethiopia’s ancient culture through its generous open door policy. The country always extends welcoming arms to refugees on the basis of three major principles from which its refugee policy evolve; (1) maintaining its longstanding history of hospitality for refugees (2) meet its international obligations as signatory of both the UN (1951) and OAU (1969) refugee conventions and (3) to materialize its foreign policy of building sustainable peace with its neighbours through strengthening people to people relations.
Ethiopia is one of the largest refugees hosting country in Africa providing protection, relief and assistance to a total of 875,000 asylum-seekers and refugees by December 2017. The majority are originating from South Sudan (42.7%), Somalia (30.5%) and Eritrea (20.8%). There are also refugees from Sudan (5.1%), Yemen (0.2%) and other nationalities who constitute (0.7%).
Cognizant of the massive demand, UNHCR, the Ethiopian government, donors and the international community are exerting efforts and making commitments thereby showing their global solidarity to the world’s refugee crisis. Most importantly, the Government of Ethiopia has co-hosted Leaders’ Summit on the Global Refugee Crisis on the margins of UNGA, on 20th of September 2016 and has made ground-breaking pledges to improve refugees’ self-reliance and inclusion through opportunities for education and legal work. The pledge on education is one of the nine pledges which states that “Ethiopia will provide primary, secondary and tertiary education to all qualified refugees without discrimination and within available resources”.
DAFI Brief History
DAFI is abbreviation of Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Programme Referred to by its German acronym „Deutsche Akademische Flüchtlingsinitiative“. It is a programme named after Albert Einstein, the most famous and beloved scientist of all time, who was born and grew up in Germany. It is funded by the Federal Government of Germany globally in 42 countries since it was established 25 years ago.
DAFI Success Stories
The Programme started in Ethiopia in 2000. Since October 2011, it is being implemented by the Association of Ethiopians Educated in Germany (AEEG) in close collaboration with the UN Agency for refugees (UNHCR) and the Ethiopian Government representative on the sector, Administration for Returnees and Refugees Affairs (ARRA). So far, the Programme benefited 1,141 potential refugees in Ethiopia from over 7 countries. DAFI club was established, consultative meetings facilitated and tutorial classes enhanced and hence the Programme became much more visible and popular. The counselling, networking and further efforts for an advanced degree level education possibilities for top performers is underway through the implementing partner as well the Ethiopian Government pledge related to jobs inspired improved student’s performance. Accordingly, we have had two Gold Medallists in the graduating class of 2017.
The total on-going DAFI beneficiaries (refugee students supported at higher education level) by December 31st, 2017 are 542 enrolled in 15 Universities and Colleges across the country
Partial view of participants during Assosa Workshop, November 2017