Education for refugee adolescent girls has faced formidable barriers in transit countries during Covid-19. This thesis is a qualitative case study of the effects of Covid-19 on refugee adolescent girls' education in a transit country (Egypt). The study is based on a conversational interview with Non-Governmental Organization NGO staff in Egypt and a systematic review of NGO reports and field studies of refugee children's education in transit countries to assist the case study with parallel and complementary knowledge from other transit countries. To analyze the interview findings, an Economic Framework for the impact of economic crisis on educational outcomes together with the Sense of Coherence and Waiting concept was used. The case study findings and the literature review summary demonstrated two typologies of vulnerabilities, i.e., general vulnerabilities and specific vulnerabilities. The elements included in the vulnerability category existed before Covid-19; however, Covid-19 caused the intensification of these vulnerability elements, which as a result affected the education of the refugee adolescent girls.

Lebanon hosts over one million refugees displaced from Syria as a result of the armed conflict—of whom, approximately 15% are adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years of age. Many female adolescent migrants report a decrease in quality of life and an increase in family tensions. This study sought to investigate the emotional well-being of adolescent Syrian girls in Lebanon. We hypothesized that married girls may experience additional hardships and thus greater feelings of dissatisfaction in daily life, given their young marriage and responsibilities at home. This study was part of a large mixed-methods study on the experiences of Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon (n = 1422). Using line-by-line coding and thematic analysis, 188 first-person narratives from Syrian girls were analysed. Our results highlight poor emotional well-being among married and unmarried girls, with sadness, fear and anger commonly mentioned. Some participants expressed feelings of hope, happiness, gratefulness and empowerment. Unmarried girls (n = 111) were more likely to associate their shared stories with negative feelings such as sadness (47% vs. 22%), disappointment (30% vs. 19%), and frustration (32% vs. 22%) than were married girls (n = 77). Four themes emerged as important determinants: access to education, perceived safety, peer support, and longing for life back in Syria. Continued efforts to improve emotional well-being for married and unmarried refugee girls are needed in Lebanon, in particular those that address the nuances for these groups.

I denna studie har erfarenheter och framtidsvisioner vad gäller utbildning och arbete i Sverige bland unga kvinnor som kom till Sverige som ensamkommande flickor undersökts. Ambitionen med studien är att öka kunskapen kring gruppen unga kvinnor som kommit till Sverige som ensamkommande flickor. Kvalitativa djupgående intervjuer samt en hermeneutisk forskningsansats, präglad av författarnas förförståelse, har använts i studien. I studieresultatet framkommer att de unga kvinnorna upplever mindre stöd samt en ökad ensamhet efter att de har flyttat från HVB-hemmet till eget boende. Studieresultatet visar även på att de unga kvinnorna upplever segregation i skolan samt har kunskapsluckor kring arbete och utbildning. I studiens slutsats formuleras möjliga förbättringar för att öka unga kvinnors kontaktnät innan de flyttar till eget boende, för att motverka segregation i skolan samt förslag på att införa regelbundna samtal. Förbättringarna syftar till att öka unga kvinnors möjligheter att nå sina mål, nå ökat välmående samt en förbättrad integration. / This study have set out to oppose the experience and outlook on future regarding education and work within the group of young women who came to Sweden as unaccompanied refugee children. The purpose of the study is also to increase knowledge about young women who came to Sweden as unaccompanied refugee children. Qualitative in-depth interviews with a hermeneutic research approach characterized by the author’s preconceptions have been used for the study. The key features of the study is that young women after they have moved out of the residential care home to their own apartments experience feelings of loneliness and lack of support. Experiences of segregation in school and knowledge gaps regarding education and work is also key features in the study. In the conclusion of the study possible improvements are suggested to improve young women’s contact network before moving to their own apartments, counteract segregation in school and suggest an establishment of regular dialogues. The improvements aims as a way to increase young women’s abilities to reach their goals, increase their wellbeing and improve integration.