As refugees, many of our students and families bear tremendous mental and emotional pressures. Teachers are regularly trained in integrating social-emotional learning practices in their classrooms, and staff make daily efforts to work with parents and create a psychologically, physically, and emotionally safe learning environment.

A growing number of refugee children are able to access Indonesian public schools, but the options for formal secondary or tertiary education remain severely limited. Two of Roshan’s academic programs (GED Prep and Elite Open School) provide rare opportunities for refugee teens and adults to earn formally recognized U.S. high school credentials.

Roshan has achieved some significant “firsts” to advance educational opportunities for refugees in Indonesia. The Roshan GED program was one of the first refugee focused GED test prep programs to yield successful “graduates.” Roshan has also helped the first refugee enrollments in a local private university and facilitated successful test cases of refugee departures from Indonesia through higher education.

From day one, Roshan has been a collaborative effort of people from different nationalities and backgrounds. In contrast to most other refugee-led learning centers in Indonesia, Roshan’s day to day operations and program activities are driven by a “blended” team of refugees, Indonesians, and other foreign nationals living in Jakarta. Each group brings unique perspectives, expertise, and resources that have all contributed to making Roshan the dynamic community that it is today.

From day one, Roshan has been as equally invested in community building as in providing educational opportunities to refugees. A major struggle of refugee life in an urban context like Jakarta is social isolation. Over the years, Roshan has grown into a strong, diverse community with deep roots and a distinct culture that reflects our core values. We are highly relational in all that we do, and there is a distinct Roshan “style” that sets us apart from other services or organizations. For many of our students and community members, Roshan is their second family.

While Roshan is a community-driven learning center, Roshan is also one of the founding programs of a local umbrella organization, YICF. Through YICF, Roshan benefits from important organizational functions and both domestic and international networks of support. As a part of the YICF family, Roshan is connected to a wider organization that serves both refugees and underserved Indonesians through education, vocation, and community.