During the visit in the  Kurdistan Region, the  RESCUE partners visited the Domiz 1 Camp. Currently  (May 2017) 32,038 Syrians are registered in the camp, almost a small city surrounded by Duhok Mountains. Domiz 1 is, unfortunately, one of  the biggest camps in the region. Unfortunately it is one of the most covered by media and visited by celebrities travelling around the region.

We visited Domiz 1 with only one aim: see with our eyes the situation on the ground, gather information, receive data and statistics, obtain a clearer picture about how to match the needs of Syrian with the needs of the local Higher Education System. We were not there to take pictures or make a tour, but to receive precise information on specific questions.

We received a special permission in order to enter the camp from the Governorate. The camp manager received us in his office. His phone is always ringing, lots of people open his door asking for information. It will not be an easy interview. Thanks to Dr. Muhammad Abdel Qadir of the Duhok Polytechnic we can understand him as he prefers to speak in kurdish.

We noticed that the situation in the camp is quite calm, even if life conditions are obviously very difficult. This energic man provided us with all the information required and invited us to visit the internet cafe of the camp as a proof of his efforts.

In his plans this area must be further enriched with new compounds in order to provide more services for Syrian in the camp. New compounds were to provide training for Syrians. The training, he informed us, must be related with vocational training as lots of them prefer to find event a part time job in order to afford daily life.

Higher Education is a priority, but it is more and more urgent to find a job in order to provide goods for the family. Higher Education can be a top priority if scholarship will be designed taking into account the situation on the ground and be used as a source of income for all the family, not only for the student.

Scholarship must be designed not only for excellent students but for all the people interested in join local University: education it is not only excellency, but a human right.