Lighting a Path Forward for Refugee Education Amidst Pandemic (poster)

A nascent EdTech startup and aspiring international NPO, our English Language Network of Refugees (ELNOR) aims to address educational inequalities experienced by refugee communities worldwide and exacerbated amidst pandemic. Acknowledging that smartphones are already both crucial and ubiquitous tools within refugee settings, and acting on long-term-forecast virtualization of international markets (a pandemic-spurred transition), ELNOR offers adults in refugee situations a personalized, data-aware digital learning program. ELNOR has successfully completed a pilot program and launched regular operations over an existing messaging application with a student body of 49 based out of the Mória refugee community in Lesbos, Greece. ELNOR’s next big step is to complete in-house app development tailored to students, operations staff, and an international volunteer tutor corps. ELNOR will offer a secure mobile platform for delivery and continuous R&D for its needs-focused curriculum, its 1:1 student-tutor matching system, and relevant communications. The app’s beta will roll out September, 2021.