Refugee Education in Greece: How Trauma-Informed Learning Helped One Family Thrive Beyond Borders

Mariam* was filled with uncertainty. Her anxiety was overwhelming. She and her family were Iranian refugees in Greece, having traveled to the island of Lesvos by boat in 2017. They had escaped a dangerous situation to arrive at a seemingly impossible one. She desired a better future for her children, but they didn’t know the language. That’s when TeachBeyond stepped in to help, providing hope through relationships and refugee education.

The Education Gap Facing Refugees in Greece

In 2019, Mariam and her husband began attending an English class offered through the TeachBeyond ministry of Beyond Borders. Her college-aged daughter, who remained in Iran, took the ministry’s online English class, which prepared her for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). For Mariam and her children, language had been one of the biggest barriers to their education.

"Primarily, education there is offered in Greek,” explained Beyond Borders Associate Director André Marotto. “So, you have refugees from many countries that might have a reasonable level of English or be able to get by in English, but who would perhaps not even be able to have education being done in English, let alone in a second or third language. Language learning often is an obstacle to an effective engagement with local education even if governments are willing to provide that.”

Beyond Borders provides education for refugees through a trauma-informed approach, attending to the learners’ physical, psychological, cultural, social, spiritual, and emotional needs.

TeachBeyond was there for Mariam as her family faced three asylum rejections and the threat of imminent deportation. She was a Christian, but her faith was shaken, and she was struggling with intense anxiety. TeachBeyond walked alongside this family through prayer, encouragement and access to education.

From Survival to Academic Excellence

Mariam’s sons have gone on to achieve outstanding success in education. Her oldest son graduated from Greek public school with the highest academic score in the country. He was praised on national television and social media by both the president and prime minister and received a full university scholarship.

Mariam's youngest son graduated from High School and was employed as a summer teacher assistant for Beyond Border’s education program for undocumented refugee children, fearful of attending public school. His prayers and encouragement inspired younger refugee students to grow in faith and pursue higher education.

The father also served with Beyond Borders as a teacher in the Lesvos camp in 2020, using the minstry’s trauma-informed Journeys curriculum.

God answered TeachBeyond’s and Mariam’s prayers, providing hope and healing when the situation looked bleak. Her family now lives in Athens and hasn’t heard a word about deportation in years. In 2025, Mariam traveled to the US to visit her former TeachBeyond teacher in California and share her testimony with a church there.

The Broader Impact of Education for Refugees

Access to education is one of the most pressing needs for refugees. Yet nearly half of the 14.8 million school-aged refugee children lack access to formal education (UNHCR, 2023). Without it, they get left behind, unable to secure a safe and prosperous future.

Beyond Borders began operating on the Greek island of Lesvos in 2018 and has since expanded into Africa and Latin America. Looking ahead, this TeachBeyond ministry is exploring new opportunities in Ukraine, Moldova, Mexico and creative access regions, continuing to expand its partnerships and trauma-informed education model to serve displaced communities worldwide.

For families like Mariam’s, the refugee highway is not a short detour. It comes with years of uncertainty, instability and lost opportunity. For their children, education can feel impossibly out of reach. TeachBeyond’s Each One Matters campaign exists to change that. By creating access to learning, displaced children experience stability, dignity and hope. Each One Matters. Will you step in and be part of the difference?

*Name has been changed