How a simple story helped refugee teachers turn lived experiences into policy action
“What would you do if a stranger stood at your gate and asked for your daughter’s hand in marriage”? This unexpected question sparked more than a lively discussion among refugee teachers in Dadaab Camp, Kenya. It became a powerful learning moment that helped participants understand how to ask the right questions, frame an issue and develop a policy brief capable of influencing decision-makers.
During a two-day capacity-building forum held at Aqal Heryo Resort, Dadaab, Elimu Yetu Coalition (EYC) brought together members of the Refugee Teacher Community of Practice (RTCoP) to strengthen their skills in developing policy products. The 41 participants were drawn from the refugee teacher community and were actively engaged in amplifying refugee teachers’ voices.
From a question to a lesson in advocacy, Joseph Wasikhongo, the session facilitator, while building on the initial question invited the teachers to imagine a man standing at their gate and that he was harmless. He asked the teachers what kind of questions they would ask the man. The naturally obvious questions provided by the teachers were: Who are you? What do you want? How can I help you? Where do you come from? Is there a problem?
Then the scenario changed when the visitor explained he wanted to marry their daughter.
The questions became more specific. Which daughter? What is her name? Has there been prior communication? What are the cultural procedures?
What appeared to be a simple story was deliberately designed to demonstrate a fundamental principle of policy advocacy: the way an issue is framed, and the questions asked, influence the response and attitude of the person being addressed.
“The questions we ask determine the response we receive.”
For the teachers, the analogy provided a simple way of understanding the architecture of a policy brief. Who are you? became the introduction. What do you want? became the summary of recommendations—the key “asks.” The background provided the context and history, while the impact of the issue explained why action was necessary. The final step was to present clear and comprehensive recommendations to the relevant stakeholders.
From experience to policy action. The lesson moved quickly from imagination to practice. The teachers had already identified some of the key challenges affecting refugee teachers, including inadequate teacher training, lack of recognition, poor remuneration, teacher upgrading and inadequate policies. These issues were prioritized, with addressing inadequate teacher training and lack of recognition emerging as the key priorities
The participants while working in groups, were then tasked with developing a policy brief using the issues they had identified through previous engagements; using and making reference to the ‘stranger at the gate story’ they transformed their lived experiences and concerns into concrete policy recommendations.
The exercise demonstrated that policy advocacy does not have to begin with complicated language or technical jargon. Sometimes, it begins with a story, a question and the courage to ask: What is the problem, who can solve it, and what exactly are we asking them to do?
By the end of the engagement, participants had strengthened their practical skills in developing policy products hence giving the teachers a stronger voice. More importantly, the resulting policy brief provided the Refugee Teachers’ Community of Practice with an advocacy instrument for engaging policy and decision-makers at national and sub-national levels on the recognition and certification of refugee teachers.
The power of the exercise was not simply building the capacity of refugee teachers on how to write a policy brief. It was in helping them recognize that their experiences are evidence, their voices matter, and their recommendations can contribute to shaping education policy.
For EYC, the lesson was equally clear: when people are given the tools to articulate their experiences and engage decision-makers, imagination can become the first step towards transformation.
