Higher Education Opportunities for Refugees: Yohannes’ Story

Yohannes is a 31-year-old student living in Bologna and pursuing a master’s degree in Automation Engineering. During our interview he was full of energy, although a little stressed with the upcoming exam session. At first appearance you might assume that Yohannes is just another international student in Italy pursuing his studies. Whilst that’s indeed the case, Yohannes is also an Eritrean refugee who has lived and studied in Ethiopia for the past 7 years.

A top-of-his-class student, he struggled to find a job in Ethiopia after completing his bachelor’s degree due to a law which required job applicants to be in possession of an Ethiopian ID card and copy of the national examination paperin order to be hired, which in de facto reduces the possibility for refugees to find employment. That is why Yohannes thinks many of his fellow students abandoned the country before graduating to try and reach Europe. This was something he was not inclined to do, as he was keen to find a safe and legal pathway that would take him to Europe by recognising his merits and capabilities.

Yohannes heard from a friend about the UNICORE programme, which allowed refugees to obtain a study visa to continue their studies in Italy. He decided to apply, taking advantage of the fact that at the time he had access to the internet. He felt confident, as he fulfilled all the requirements and the procedure looked fair and transparent. Eventually, he was selected.

“The programme is well-organized” Yohannes tells us. “Staff from Gandhi Charity (the organisation working with Caritas Italiana in Ethiopia) supported us with pre-departure procedures, covering all expenses related to administration, travel and food. We did not have to worry about anything, and that was a relief.” 

Despite receiving the necessary documentation only a couple of days before the foreseen travelling date, everything went smoothly. The first cohort of participants in the UNICORE programme arrived in Italy in September 2019, many excited to be travelling abroad for the first time.

After the initial orientation provided by UNHCR, the students were accompanied to the cities where their future universities were located – which in the case of Yohannes happened to be Bologna.

“I really love the city and the environment, although with COVID-19 I did not have the opportunity to explore as much as I would have liked, nor to live the full university experience”.

With classes being held online and some differences between the Italian and the Ethiopian study programmes, starting off the academic year was not easy. “We needed to study twice as much as everyone else to catch up with topics that we had not covered in our bachelor’s degree, all while getting used to the new system and way of studying”. 

With the master’s programme taught entirely in English, the language is not a problem for Yohannes, although speaking some Italian can really make a difference in everyday life in Bologna. Yohannes took an Italian course upon arrival and continued learning the language throughout the pandemic. Living in a student residence with other Italian and international students does provide some opportunities to practice the language, but that is not enough. “Upon arrival in their new city, Caritas pairs refugee students with a local family to provide some additional support and a chance to interact with the community” Yohannes explained. “I go over for dinner every once in a while, and I really enjoy it” he added. “They are nice, gentle and welcoming. They also have kids with whom I feel at ease in practicing Italian”.

Being a refugee student, however, is not like being an international student. Receiving tailored support for the duration of the programme is really necessary for refugee students to gradually integrate in the host community and achieve independence. While Caritas Italiana and UNHCR provide financial and administrative support to the students, according to Yohannes the programme could be further improved, especially with regards to mental health support. Worried about their families, refugee students often use their pocket money to support their relatives back home, which does not leave them with much for their monthly expenses.

“That is why I started to work in food delivery during the pandemic, although I left after a short time because I was not making good money and the work schedule did not give me enough time to study”

But for Yohannes and most students in the programme, life after graduation remains the main challenge. Upon obtention of their diploma, refugee students in the UNICORE programme who would like to remain in the country need to apply for asylum once their student visa expires, unless they manage to find a job straight-away, which is also not easy. “I just want to work in the field of my studies”, Yohannes tells us. “I really hope that the internship that I will start in the city of Modena in September will open some doors for future employment and allow me to continue living a normal life”, he concludes with a hopeful smile.