Refugee Rights Malaysia Project #55068

Send a Refugee Youth in Malaysia to a University

by LIBERTY TO LEARN BERHAD

Send a Refugee Youth in Malaysia to a University

Project Report | Apr 4, 2025
Fugee HiEd Scholarship: Q1 2025 Highlights

By Suhail | Project Manager - Scholarship

Fugee HiEd Scholarship Award Ceremony

We started the year by celebrating 22 new scholars at the Fugee HiEd Scholarship Award Ceremony. With your support, we’re working towards awarding 30 new scholarships in the next intake in September.

Spotlight: Celebrating Scholars & Refugee Voices

On 18 January, we hosted Spotlight: Breaking Boundaries, Amplifying Voices at The Grey Box, GMBB, bringing together 173 attendees—donors, partners, scholars, and members of the public.

Scholarship Award Ceremony
The ceremony officially welcomed the 2025 Cohort and recognised our graduating scholars. A highlight of the evening was Jasmine’s speech, where she spoke about what this scholarship means to her and why access to higher education is so vital.

“It’s about how we show up to each other in ways that cannot be measured by the degrees and titles, but by the way we make someone feel when they need it the most.” (Excerpt from Jasmine’s speech)

Open Mic: Sharing Stories & Talent
In conjunction with the Award Ceremony, this year, we also organised an Open Mic event. The open mic session provided a platform for refugee youth to show their talents and express themselves through spoken word, poetry, and music. Nur Sadek, our cohort 3 Scholar, captivated the audience with a powerful piece about his journey of displacement, while guest artists Marco George, Elvira, Kasthury, and Dancesteps Studio brought a dynamic energy to the night. Attendees shared how much they valued the inclusive and inspiring atmosphere.

Beyond Scholarships: Supporting Our Scholars

On 22 February, we held a Mental Health & Well-being Workshop with Humankind, focusing on depression and anxiety—topics identified by our scholars in last year’s surveys and focus groups. The session helped scholars understand how mental health affects daily life and how to support themselves and others.

On 15th March, we organised a CV Building Workshop in partnership with FutureLab. The session focused on helping scholars to create clear and concise CVs, as well as how to tailor them for specific job applications.

Expanding Access to Higher Education

Beyond scholarships, Fugee HiEd runs several initiatives to support refugee youth in higher education and career readiness.

CERTE (Connecting and Equipping Refugees for Tertiary Education) Bridge Course: In partnership with UNHCR and Opening Universities for Refugees (OUR), CERTE has supported over 150 refugee students since 2017. Now in its 10th cohort, the programme has introduced a structured governance framework, expanded mentorship, and refined course delivery. This year, we're doubling our intake, with the next cohort opening in May.
Study Aid: Launched in June 2023, Study Aid supports Palestinian students pursuing higher education at a university in Kedah, Malaysia. By easing financial burdens, it enables students to focus on their studies and complete their degrees without the risk of dropping out. In 2025, Study Aid expanded to include mentorship, mental health services, and internship opportunities for its beneficiaries.
Fugee HiEd Internship Programme: Introduced in June 2024 with targeted donor funding, this initiative tackles financial and employment challenges faced by refugee students. It provides HiEd Scholars, Study Aid beneficiaries, and CERTE graduates with professional experience through internships at Fugee Org. Following early successes, the first external placement took place in early 2025, with more partnerships underway to expand opportunities beyond Fugee.

Thank You for Being Part of This Journey

Your support continues to create opportunities for refugee youth in Malaysia. As we work towards our goal of 30 scholarships, we hope you’ll stay with us—because education changes everything.

Nur Sadek shares his journey of displacement

Jasmine shares what the scholarship means to her

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Dec 4, 2024
Fugee HiEd Scholarship: 2024 Year-End Highlights

By Dafer Sief | Project Manager

Zalaan, one of our alumni, now in Canada.

As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on another year of empowering refugee students through education, growth, and opportunity. The Fugee HiEd Scholarship Program continues to transform lives, enabling refugee youth in Malaysia to unlock their potential and create brighter futures.

Welcoming a New Cohort of Scholars

In September, we proudly awarded scholarships to 22 new scholars, bringing the total number of current and graduated scholars to 57. This expansion underscores our unwavering commitment to breaking barriers and increasing access to higher education for marginalized communities.

Celebrating Transformative Success Stories

Among this year’s milestones is the graduation of several scholars, including Zalaan, whose journey exemplifies resilience and determination. His success story highlights the transformative power of education as him and his sister both embark on new opportunities in Canada through TalentLift. Securing this opportunity was made possible because Zalaan successfully earned his degree through the Scholarship Program.


“Don’t give up on your education just because one door has closed, it doesn’t mean there are no other doors you can take.” - Zalaan

Prioritising Mental Health and Well-Being

Additionally, our commitment to holistic development continues, as demonstrated through initiatives like the mental health workshop in November facilitated by our mental health partner, Humankind. This workshop provided a safe space for scholars to explore and discuss the impact of stress on their well-being.

Charting the Future of the Scholarship Program

This year also marked the culmination of a comprehensive evaluation of the program, leading to the development of a visionary five-year roadmap to guide our future efforts. With the continued growth of the HiEd team and the introduction of innovative engagement activities, we are better equipped than ever to support our scholars academically and personally.

Gratitude and Vision for the Future

As we close another impactful year, we remain deeply grateful for the support of our partners, donors, and community. Your contributions are the cornerstone of our success, enabling us to create meaningful change and inspire hope in the lives of refugee youth. Together, we look forward to building on this year’s achievements and paving the way for even greater impact in 2025 and beyond.

Scholars engaging in the HumanKind activities.

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Aug 6, 2024
A Remarkable Year for the HiEd Scholarship Program

By Dafer Sief | Scholarship Manager

Our scholars Zalaan, Samaa and Marwa

This year marked the fourth round of applications for the HiEd Scholarship, and we are thrilled to share the incredible progress we've made. The number of completed, eligible applications increased from 60 last year to 76 this year, highlighting the growing recognition of the HiEd Scholarship as a vital resource for refugees and stateless individuals in Malaysia.

Our outreach initiatives have been instrumental in reaching a diverse group of refugee students across the country. By partnering with local organisations, schools, and community leaders, we have ensured that our program is accessible to those who need it most. We conducted two information sessions with learning centres and one with over 25 refugee community centres, providing them with all the necessary information and introductory materials to disseminate smoothly within their communities. Through these efforts, we connected with approximately 1000 refugee youths in Malaysia via email, equipping them with essential information about the scholarship.

We received over 200 eligible applications and invited these applicants to participate in two Q&A sessions—one in the middle of the application period and another ten days before the deadline. These sessions ensured that all applicants clearly understood the online application process.

Fugee Ambassadors

As part of the scholarship, our scholars also have the responsibility to uphold the values and missions of our organisation, acting as our ambassadors. Over the past year, we have created various videos that give our scholars a chance to speak about themselves and their experiences as a HiEd Scholar.

These videos serve a purpose to our partners and general public to understand the impact of our work and implore them to support our initiatives. They also serve the greater purpose to encourage other refugee youth to apply to our scholarship and give them the motivation to attain their higher education dreams. Click on the links below to hear what our scholars have to say about their HiEd Scholarship journey.

Our scholars Nur Majid (Computer Science scholar at UNIMY), Ammara and Abu Bakkar (Law scholars at the University of London), played an integral role in the application information sessions that we did during the period of the online application, which they came in and they shared their experiences, discussed overcoming challenges in university applications, provided insights into the scholarship application process and telling what it was like a refugee youth who were ones like them, looking for opportunities.

Increasing Scholarship Awards

This year, we aim to increase the number of awarded scholarships from 16 last year to 20 this year. This expansion reflects our commitment to supporting more deserving students in their pursuit of higher education. The increased number of eligible applicants, illustrate the profound impact of the HiEd Scholarship. Your continued support is crucial to achieving this target and helping us to increase the scholarship quota in the coming years. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of these remarkable individuals and their communities.

Ammara's sharing in the application Info session

Nur Majid sharing his journey with new applicants

Abu Bakkar tricks to get admission to University

Links:

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