FMSI is currently engaged in the implementation of the “Three2six refugee Children’s educational Project” thanks to the support of one of its major donors, Misean Cara.

South Africa is the African Country with the highest number of migrants and refugees fleeing conflict. Thousands of refugee and migrant children living in Johannesburg do not have access to education because, for enrollment in public schools, proper documentation is required which, due to their refugee status, they do not have. Three2Six is an innovative social promotion and inclusive education program that provides access to education to refugee and migrant children in South Africa who have interrupted their studies or have never been able to attend school and is specifically designed to improve the physical and psychological well-being of beneficiaries, helping them build and develop their resilience. The project has been active since 2008 and provides quality education by encouraging inclusion, diversity of expression, mutual understanding and participation of children. To date, more than 2,300 children have acquired basic skills (reading, writing and math) for their own integration into formal schooling and life skills for their own integral personal growth. All planned activities are in line with the education-related goals set by the African Agenda 2063, the African Agenda for Children 2040 and the United Nations 2030 Agenda (Sustainable Development Goal No. 4). The Program has been hosted for years in three school communities, consisting of a mixture of government, private, and independent schools. At the end of 2022, the Marist Brothers, in order to ensure migrant and refugee children a full school day (and not just from three to six in the afternoon – from Three2Six), acquired the Dominican Convent, where the children of the Program can attend school in a multiethnic and multicultural environment with non-migrant children, thus promoting coexistence and inclusion in a country plagued by xenophobia.

Aim of the program:

The goal of the “Three2six refugee Children’s educational Project” is to provide access to quality education for refugee and migrant children (boys and girls, aged 5 to 14). The project supports refugee and migrant children who cannot access public schools in Johannesburg. Each child receives a daily snack and meal, uniforms, textbooks and stationery.

In 2007, Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg learned of the challenges refugee children face in accessing education. Xenophobia, lack of resources, pressure on the local education system, difficulties in obtaining identification and immigration documents, and rampant poverty meant that many refugee and asylum-seeking children did not have access to education, despite international and national commitments by the South African government to ensure access. The Three2six refugee Children’s educational Project was therefore developed with the aim of providing migrant and refugee children with access to quality education while helping them integrate into a public school.

The Program has had–over the years–a strong success rate in helping children gain access to education. The Three2Six Program continues to work in partnership with other organizations to enable it to achieve changes at the policy level. Three2Six also continually strives to raise awareness of refugee issues, seeking to curb the phenomenon of xenophobia.

For more news and to stay updated on implemented activities, please visit the FMSI and Program website and social pages ( website Three2Six, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).