Innovative Finance
August 1, 2024
Context
Germany is home to around 1.77 million refugees, many of whom arrived from conflict-affected regions such as Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Over six million adults in Germany face low literacy levels, 50% of whom speak German as a second language. While they are mostly settled in urban centers, refugees often work in lower-paid, precarious jobs that were especially vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening unemployment and intensifying the need for training and skills development. Many also face barriers such as missing documentation, limited language proficiency, limited access to technology, and lack of study skills, all of which hinder their participation in education and access to better employment opportunities.
Solution
Kiron Open Higher Education is an ed-tech NGO dedicated to expanding access to higher education, job-readiness training, and lifelong learning opportunities for refugees and underserved communities. Its central aim is to remove barriers such as cost, documentation requirements, language gaps, and technological limitations that prevent learners from pursuing education in their host countries. Kiron’s main offering is the Kiron Campus Programme, which delivers free, flexible online learning via a mix of massive open online courses (MOOCs), self-developed classes, live sessions, and tutorials.
Courses cover digital literacy, professional skills, academic subjects, and language learning (in English, Arabic, Spanish, and Turkish), with content optimized for low-bandwidth environments and smartphone access. The program uses a simple, low-threshold enrollment process that requires minimal documentation and no English testing, enabling learners, including refugees without formal papers, to sign up easily. Outreach relies on social media advertising (Facebook, Instagram), personal recommendations, and partnerships with NGOs and local organizations to reach potential learners. Learners are guided through onboarding and tech-readiness modules to ensure they can confidently engage with the platform, and they receive ongoing support through Kiron's Learning Management System and trained local facilitators.
Impact
As of 2021, Kiron has enrolled over 73,000 learners in its courses, with more than 21,000 course completions, demonstrating significantly higher completion rates (24–25%) than typical MOOCs (2–10%). It has supported over 14,000 learners in Germany, Lebanon, and Jordan and helped 100 students transition to university programs, with its first graduates completing their degrees in 2018. Kiron’s flexible approach has boosted participants’ digital literacy, self-confidence, and readiness for employment and further education. Beyond individual gains, Kiron promotes social inclusion and community integration by offering refugees the tools to learn, communicate, and participate more fully in their host societies.