Mission & Vision
Our Mission
ELNOR’s mission is to provide online English language education and professional development support to adults seeking asylum across North America and Europe.
Our Vision
ELNOR’s vision is to provide people seeking asylum with educational tools to improve social inclusion, employability, and well-being while creating a network of support to advocate for the rights of displaced people.
Refugees and asylum seekers face political and economic barriers that prevent them from accessing formal modes of education. Our goal is to break down these barriers by utilizing technology to deliver accessible education. In collaboration with our students, we work with psychologists, educators, and student advisors to design a holistic and effective education program.
Our Story
ELNOR, pronounced as “el-noor” (النور), means “the light” in Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew. We consider this word as a guiding principle of our program as we seek to offer hope, support new beginnings, and promote long-term change for people experiencing forced displacement. During the fall of 2020, several recent graduates from the London School of Economics with backgrounds in education and public policy came together to discuss the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic was presenting in education in already under-served contexts. Considering the largest gaps in access to education, they began researching educational needs in refugee camps and how to provide an innovative English education solution to adults seeking asylum. After countless hours of collaboration and research, ELNOR was born, and launched its classes in February 2021.