OUR MISSION
Squash Dreamers is a U.S.-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides young Syrian refugee and underprivileged Jordanian girls with professional squash and English training to help them apply to outstanding international and Jordanian schools. We aim to enroll the world’s most at-risk population, young refugee girls, at high-quality secondary schools in Jordan, Europe, the USA, and/or Canada. We hope to give the girls the resources to catch up in their education, gain a competitive scholarship advantage through squash, and learn English to gain access to international schools. This will transform their future opportunities. The UNHCR reports that worldwide, “two-thirds of refugee children in primary school don’t go on to secondary education and only 1 percent go on to higher education.”
SYRIAN REFUGEES IN JORDAN
Jordan is home to 655,000 Syrian refugees, 80 percent of which reside outside of border camps. Most families had to completely abandon their assets upon leaving Syria, and as a result, 93 percent of refugees in Jordan reside under the poverty line. Although the UNHCR and other members of the international community have been effective in reducing poverty, these programs foster dependency on outside agencies for resources, are not sustainable, and will not result in Syrians being self-reliant.
One of the resources that Syrian refugees lack most is high-quality education. Refugees are entitled to an education per the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In Jordan, 226,000 of all Syrian refugees are school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 17, yet at least one-third of them did not receive a formal education last year. For refugee children who do attend schools, the quality of Jordan’s public education system has suffered due to the strain on growing class sizes and the system’s own shortage of resources. In order to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Syrian children who want a seat in a classroom, Jordan’s Ministry of Education created second shifts at 100 primary schools; Jordanian students attend classes from 7 am to 12:30 pm while Syrian students attend from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Therefore, even Syrian students who received a formal education last year received 57% fewer instructional hours than the average American primary school student. The UNHCR reports that worldwide, “two-thirds of refugee children in primary school don’t go on to secondary education and only 1 percent go on to higher education.” Even though the nonprofit community strives to alleviate this problem, attention, funding, and resources are still severely lacking. In 2014, only 2% of humanitarian aid was allocated to education.
There will be severe consequences for an entire Syrian generation receiving little to no education. A new set of reports by Theirworld, A World at School, and the Global Business Coalition for Education warn that children out of school are more likely to be at risk of child labor, early marriage, exploitation, and extremism. “Education is the first block in building a strong society, and without it there will be no doctors, teachers or engineers to help rebuild Syria,” said Alaa, a Syrian student at Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Not addressing the estimated one million Syrian refugee children missing out on education could lead to detrimental long-term effects both in the host countries and in their home country, if the refugees are able to return.
One of the resources that Syrian refugees lack most is high-quality education. Refugees are entitled to an education per the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. In Jordan, 226,000 of all Syrian refugees are school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 17, yet at least one-third of them did not receive a formal education last year. For refugee children who do attend schools, the quality of Jordan’s public education system has suffered due to the strain on growing class sizes and the system’s own shortage of resources. In order to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Syrian children who want a seat in a classroom, Jordan’s Ministry of Education created second shifts at 100 primary schools; Jordanian students attend classes from 7 am to 12:30 pm while Syrian students attend from 1 pm to 4:30 pm. Therefore, even Syrian students who received a formal education last year received 57% fewer instructional hours than the average American primary school student. The UNHCR reports that worldwide, “two-thirds of refugee children in primary school don’t go on to secondary education and only 1 percent go on to higher education.” Even though the nonprofit community strives to alleviate this problem, attention, funding, and resources are still severely lacking. In 2014, only 2% of humanitarian aid was allocated to education.
There will be severe consequences for an entire Syrian generation receiving little to no education. A new set of reports by Theirworld, A World at School, and the Global Business Coalition for Education warn that children out of school are more likely to be at risk of child labor, early marriage, exploitation, and extremism. “Education is the first block in building a strong society, and without it there will be no doctors, teachers or engineers to help rebuild Syria,” said Alaa, a Syrian student at Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan. Not addressing the estimated one million Syrian refugee children missing out on education could lead to detrimental long-term effects both in the host countries and in their home country, if the refugees are able to return.
OUR STORY
Squash Dreamers was established in 2017 after the founder of the organization, Clayton Keir, a U.S. citizen and an avid squash player, spent a year in Jordan where he volunteered with another organization to train young Syrian refugee girls in sports. During that time, he worked with four Syrian refugee girls and noticed that they had the potential to become competitive in his favorite sport, squash. This skill would help them gain access to top-notch educational institutions who would be interested in investing in the young talents. However, when Clay asked the coach of Jordan’s national squash team if he would work with them, the coach said it was a shame that the girls weren’t Jordanian, because then he would have been able to work with them through the national program. Shocked and dismayed that refugees were disenfranchised in access to the sport, Clay became determined to help them receive the training they needed to succeed. He then created an organization that would not only grant the girls access to squash, but would also prepare them for higher-quality educational opportunities.
He learned that the four girls he had been working with had fled their war-torn country with their families, stayed in under-resourced refugee camps in tents on the border between Syria and Jordan, and were now living in concrete-mud houses on the outskirts of Amman with only half a day of school. Although their families had been able to bring only a few possessions, the girls and their families still have many dreams. One loved books and wanted to be an author, another an artist. All of the families wanted their girls to fulfill a life beyond the status of a refugee and conquer their dreams. Thus, Clay returned to the US and Squash Dreamers was born.
He learned that the four girls he had been working with had fled their war-torn country with their families, stayed in under-resourced refugee camps in tents on the border between Syria and Jordan, and were now living in concrete-mud houses on the outskirts of Amman with only half a day of school. Although their families had been able to bring only a few possessions, the girls and their families still have many dreams. One loved books and wanted to be an author, another an artist. All of the families wanted their girls to fulfill a life beyond the status of a refugee and conquer their dreams. Thus, Clay returned to the US and Squash Dreamers was born.
OUR HISTORY
- January 2017: Squash Dreamers begins training four Syrian refugee girls four days a week at the Jordan Squash Federation.
- March 2017: The English program is added and lessons take place for one hour after each squash practice.
- January 2018: Eleven more girls are added to the program, bringing the total to 15 girls.
- March 2018: Squash Dreamers hosts the girls' first tournament, which is sponsored by Aramex and Kabs Fit Factory.
- July 2018: Two StreetSquash graduates visit Squash Dreamers in Jordan and coach the girls.
- August 2018: Three Squash Dreamer girls are invited to the Hong Kong Junior Open.
- February 2020: The English program is formalized into a TOEFL-readiness program.
- BY AUGUST 2020: The English program converts to virtual lessons during Covid-19.
- BY JANUARY 2025: Build our own squash and education center in Amman, Jordan.
- BY JANUARY 2026: Expand to 100 girls.
IMPACT
Mental Health
Refugees' participation in sports has been shown to have positive effects on physical and mental health and grant social benefits .
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Integration
We foster integration between refugees and Jordanians to decrease the potential for refugee children to feel isolated or discriminated.
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Community
Structured sport activity may fill a void and help refugees integrate into a new culture and community.
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