Yodit Tewelde Habtay was born in Eritrea in 1992, in 2019 she arrived in Italy from Ethiopia with refugee status, today she achieves a dream that seemed impossible: to be proclaimed a master's degree, with a grade of 110 cum laude, in "Mediterranean Food Science and Technology" at the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences of the University of Palermo.
Standing before the commission, emotion makes his voice tremble. But this time, it is a shiver of happiness. The moment that changed Yodit's existence is linked to his participation in the project of university corridors for refugee students "UniCoRe" - promoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - and in which the University of Palermo has participated for four years.
“ If I hadn’t had this precious opportunity ,” Yodit says , “ I would have risked my life trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in every way with the hope of escaping from a reality in which human rights are trampled on every day .”
But today the bad thoughts are far away and even if the absence of her father weighs on the audience, due to a visa not obtained despite the efforts of the Caritas of Palermo, applauding her is what, in these last years, has become her second family: the community of Unipa. " I would like to continue my doctorate here ", says Yodit, confirming the strong bond that now ties her to the University of Palermo.
The deputy vice-rector Enrico Napoli, present at the proclamation, expressed deep pride in the result achieved by Yodit : “ Today is an important day for all of us. We celebrate this brilliant student by reaffirming the commitment that the University of Palermo carries out daily in building a path of real inclusion so that economic and social obstacles that prevent deserving but disadvantaged boys and girls from having the right to study are eliminated ”.
There are eight students who have won the scholarships offered by Unipa from the academic year 2021/2022 to date. Two for each year of participation in the UniCoRe project. The first student to graduate was Michael Kebedom Henok, proclaimed a master's degree in "Management Engineering" in July 2023. Yodit is the second student to obtain the academic title at Unipa.
Students who, like Yodit, were selected based on academic merit and motivation were able to benefit from a scholarship that has grown over time and now amounts to 4,200 euros and were able to choose between thirteen different master's degree courses taught in English.
In addition to scholarships, the project provides - through a large network of local partners - the necessary support to successfully complete the two-year master's degree program and to facilitate integration into university life.
Networking, together with the University of the Sicilian capital, there are three local partners: Caritas Diocesana di Palermo, Centro Diaconale - Istituto Valdese and Centro Astalli Palermo. Since 2023, Confindustria Palermo has also joined.
According to UNHCR estimates, people forced to flee war and persecution remain in exile, on average, for about 20 years. 76% of refugees in the world live in low- and middle-income countries where too often the opportunities to rebuild their future in dignity are absent. In fact, with regard to access to education, global data remain dramatic: only 6% of refugees have access to tertiary education compared to 40% of the non-refugee population.
The UNICORE project was born to respond to these challenges, offering refugees the opportunity to arrive in Italy in safety and dignity to continue their studies and rebuild their future, aspiring to a profession in line with their potential and desires. It also aims to achieve a rate of enrollment in tertiary education of refugees of 15% by 2030.
