We open Schools to make space for hope
Our History
We started to help the forgotten children of Europe.
We expanded to bring about change around the world.
We keep on fighting to build a better future for everyone.
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2018
Still I Rise was founded
In May 2018, in response to the most serious migration crisis of our time, that of Syria, we founded Still I Rise. We are independent, transparent and efficient. We offer the best to the children we care for by exposing and fighting corruption and injustice in the system.
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Mazì opens in Greece
In August 2018, on the island of Samos, Greece, we opened Mazì, our first Emergency and Rehabilitation School. It is the first free educational space designed for minors imprisoned in the island's first reception center, the hotspot.
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2019
The complaint against the hotspot
In June 2019, after a year spent denouncing, unheeded, the abuses of the hotspot authorities, we decided to take matters into our own hands and file the first criminal complaint for child abuse and crimes against humanity, naming those responsible.
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European Court upheld our request
In December 2019, the European Court of Human Rights upheld our request by issuing an interim measure to transfer the unaccompanied minors involved in the complaint to a suitable facility, thus recognizing the criminal reality of the hotspot. This is the first that this has happened.
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2020
Nobel Peace Prize nomination
In January 2020, "for dedicating his life to supporting and protecting the rights of children," the Republic of San Marino nominates Nicolò Govoni, President of Still I Rise, for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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International expansion
Strengthened by the success achieved in Greece, not only institutional but especially educational,we decide to take the Still I Rise Method wherever it is needed: to the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia. A School of Excellence for all the children of the world!
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Opening Ma'an, in Syria
In August 2020, in the city of Al Dana in northwestern Syria, we opened Ma'an, our second Emergency and Rehabilitation School, to give the children of war a chance at a future and restore their inalienable right to hope.
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2021
Opening Still I Rise International School - Nairobi
In January 2021, in Nairobi, Kenya, we opened Still I Rise International School - Nairobi, the first International School in the world to democratize elite education by offering it, free of charge, to refugee and vulnerable children. It is a real Revolution!
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Closing the Samos hotspot
After years of legal, media and political efforts, we succeeded in achieving the final closure of the original hotspot in Samos, Greece.
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The International Baccalaureate
After years of work, Still I Rise International School - Nairobi is included in the International Baccalaureate (IB) circuit, becoming a Candidate School and the first International School in the world to offer a curriculum of excellence to refugee and vulnerable minors.
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2022
Opening Pamoja, DR Congo
In February 2022 we opened Pamoja in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, our third Emergency and Rehabilitation School to offer children victims of child labor in the mines freedom from a life in semi-slavery.
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Closing Mazì in Greece
In May 2022, almost four years after its inauguration, we had the privilege of doing what very few other organizations can or will do: declaring there was no longer a need for our school and closing Mazì, our first Emergency School.
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We receive Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice in Mumbai
We are among the recipients of the 18th Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice for our work providing high-quality education to refugee children across the globe.
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2023
Another Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
This time it is the entire Still I Rise to receive, again from the Republic of San Marino, a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, "for ensuring free education and protection for vulnerable and refugee children."
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Opening a SIR Academy in Yemen
In November 2023 we opened in Aden, Yemen, our fourth Emergency and Rehabilitation School to ensure a better future for the children of the planet's worst conflict.
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2024
Opening Still I Rise International School - Bogotà
In January 2024 we opened Still I Rise International School - Bogotà in Colombia, the first free International School for refugee and vulnerable children in South America. Our Revolution continues!
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Our first IB World School
After years of hard work, Still I Rise International School - Nairobi, in Kenya, successfully passes the final International Baccalaureate inspection, becoming an "IB World School" and officially one of the top 0.1% best Schools in the world.
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100% Exam pass rate among Academy students
In Syria, DRC, and Yemen, all of our students successfully passed their final exams, gaining access to formal state education.
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Victory at the European Court
Following our complaints, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Greece was guilty of violating the rights of seven unaccompanied minors, subjecting them to inhuman and degrading treatment at the Samos hotspot in 2019 and 2020.
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Launch of the International Scholarship Programme
Students from Yemen and the DRC have begun a new academic journey at our International School in Nairobi. They have been joined by children from the Kakuma refugee camp, located on the border between Kenya and South Sudan.
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International School in Colombia is a Candidate for the IB MYP
Still I Rise International School – Bogotá has officially obtained candidate status for the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP).
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International School in Kenya is a Candidate for the IB DP
Still I Rise International School in Nairobi has been granted IB Candidate School status for the Diploma Programme—a milestone that will open the doors to top universities for our students.