Description
ABSTRACT
Background: The Russian war in Ukraine created a massive demographic crisis. 6.9 million have fled war, 76% of which are women and children. These kids are not only traumatized by war, but they also face unknown environments, with their new rules, customs and languages, which add stress and may prevent them from successfully continuing their studies and building new relationships abroad.
Purpose: Such difficulties make it an urgent matter to figure out the best way to help those children gently integrate into new societies without losing themselves and their cultural identities and overcome the traumas they gained from war experiences.
Methodology: Using Jacques Derrida’s concept of hospitality and Nel Noddings’ ethics of care, the paper examines how host communities can create caring educational spaces that welcome displaced children without imposing aggressive assimilation.
Findings: The paper discovers that war has a profound adverse existential effect on its victims, children included. Therefore, the need to overcome this impact becomes fundamental for war children, which can only be done in a caring, hospitable educational environment and is necessary for these kids to thrive further in their education.
Practical implications: The paper promotes the integration of the caring model into education by creating a truly hospitable climate as a first step, showing that such a setting can benefit the children and the educators to build sound relationships based on trust.
Conclusions: Implementing a caring, hospitable ambience is also necessary for educators to assist the displaced children in covering their fundamental needs and integrating gently into new communities without being traumatized more by forced assimilation.
Keywords: Derrida, education, ethics of care, hospitality, refugees
