Georgia Middle School Prepares Refugee Girls for Higher Education

The Global Village Project (GVP), located in Decatur, Georgia, is the only school in the country dedicated to meeting the educational needs of recently resettled refugee girls and preparing them for high school. Since its doors opened in 2009, the middle school has seen more than 300 students graduate from its program. 

The school’s curriculum is rooted in trauma-informed teaching to help meet the children’s educational and emotional needs. Many students at Global Village Project had their access to education interrupted because they were forced to flee their home countries—for others, this is the first formal school they’ve ever attended. While the middle school provides a safe space for students to process their feelings, the ultimate mission of the school is to empower young women to pursue their goals and dreams.

For Khaty, a recent graduate of GVP whose family was forced to flee Afghanistan, the school is more than just a place of learning but a home to return to, “I was relieved, all the stress that I held on to, all the crazy stuff that I was carrying, I just left it behind those big doors in the hallway. And after that, I was like, ‘Yes. This is where I belong.’”