Supporting at-risk academics in Middle East important: message from Vincenzo Raimo

Wednesday, 18 November 2015

We have all seen desperate images of the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, particularly in Syria and Iraq. It is of catastrophic proportions, and has led to an increased number of people needing help. Many of us may have already played a part in helping the refugees; be it through donations of money, of food or of clothing.

The human cost of this crisis is unimaginable. However, it is not only the human cost that is taking a merciless toll; the academic loss is also ruinous. When academics are killed or forced to leave their countries, intellectual capital and learning are lost and new skills are not developed in the young. This loss also cripples the country’s ability to rebuild itself; impacting future generations and the world at large. 

The University of Reading is determined to play its part. We have partnered with CARA (Council for At-Risk Academics) to help academics in war-torn countries escape the violence from their regimes and extremists. While the crisis is global, it is particularly urgent in the Middle East. The University is already funding an academic from Syria but with your support we can do so much more. If you would like to make a gift, please click here.

To find out more about this dire situation and ways in which you can help, please join us on Thursday 26 November from 13.00–14.00 in the URS Small Lecture Theatre for a lecture on Saving knowledge, saving lives: engaging with the Middle Eastern refugee crisis. The lecture will feature Stephen Wordsworth, Executive Director of CARA and Dr Christina Hellmich, Associate Professor in IR and Middle East Studies.

I hope you’ll join us. For more information or to make a reservation for the lecture, please contact Arlene Paterson at a.a.paterson@reading.ac.uk or call 0118 378 5240.

Vincenzo Raimo
PVC (Global Engagement)
University of Reading