CHAPTER 15: Community Service Learning Track in Community Development and Organization in Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya

Educational programs in refugee camps are conceived mostly as emergency and temporary measures until refugees are either repatriated or resettled in a third country. While there are numerous primary and secondary education programs, only a few initiatives offer higher education for refugees while they are in camps. This chapter describes an initial evaluation of a post secondary course in Community Development in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, conducted as part of Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins (JC: HEM). The findings confirm the need to look beyond an emergency relief framework and consider a developmental approach to education with refugees. As a result of participating in the course, our students felt a sense of empowerment and agency; more respect from their community; and increased confidence personally and in the workplace. The focus on diversity, intercultural learning, and building networks was important for our students. Introducing transformational and servant leadership theories as well as examples of global leaders made a lasting impression on students and that was reflected in the data and the students’ continued involvement in their community. The chapter also offers insights that may be helpful to others interested in providing higher education to refugees in camps.