Higher Ed Voices at the Margins

AI as a ‘Saviour’: Supporting Women’s Education in Dzaleka Refugee Camp

How does Artificial Intelligence shape learning when your classroom is a refugee camp and your day is divided between study and motherhood?  In Season 2 of Higher Ed Voices at the Margins, we explore AI through the lived experiences of learners in excluded communities around the world. In this episode, Edith, a student and mother in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, shares why she calls AI a “saviour” – a tool that helps her manage the multitude of challenges and pressure women face while pursuing higher education.  But Edith also raises an important warning: AI must never replace independent thinking. For women especially, education and technology should build autonomy, courage, and the ability to stand on one’s own, rather than create new forms of dependence.  As she shares her story, Edith calls on women to take risks, become role models for their children, and use AI thoughtfully to create better futures for the next generation.  🎧 A powerful reflection on AI, resilience, and women’s empowerment at the margins.      ---------------- Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Higher Ed Voices at the Margins podcast host, or those of Jesuit Worldwide Learning’

“AI Is Not a Painkiller": A Critical Voice from Kakuma Refugee Camp

In this episode, Kalo Hissen, a Jesuit Worldwide Learning AI Research Hub researcher and BA in Sustainable Development student, shares a critical refugee perspective on Artificial Intelligence from Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya.  Kalo challenges the idea of AI as a quick ‘painkiller’ for educational problems and warns that “AI will either build you or destroy you”, depending on how it is used. He reflects on how early AI systems failed to recognise Kakuma’s reality, revealed linguistic bias through Swahili translations, and exposed the lack of inclusion of marginalised contexts.  This episode is a call for AI literacy, critical thinking, and responsible use,  and reminds us that AI is not a worker or a replacement for thought, but an assistant that should support creativity, learning, and human agency.  Dive deep in a powerful conversation on AI, language, power, and education at the margins!

“AI is Magic”: Intelligent Use of AI for Community Benefits in Kurdistan Region (Iraq)

“AI is magic — but we must learn to use it intelligently.”  In our newest episode of Higher Education: Voices at the Margins, we meet Sultan, a JWL on-site facilitator in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, who shares his reflections on how artificial intelligence can empower learners at the margins.  For Sultan, AI isn’t just a tool. It’s a bridge that connects people across fragile contexts. In  Khanke, a community that has suffered genocide, destruction and displacement, technology is helping learners regain access to information and education.  He reminds us that people at the margins also “deserve” access to technology and higher education.    When used mindfully, AI can help students develop their thinking, creativity, and sense of purpose, and even be used for the good of the community.  Listen to Sultan’s inspiring story about how AI can connect, empower, and transform learning wherever we are in the world.

Building Machines for Peace: A Girl Engineer in Kakuma on AI for Humanity

In this second episode of our season AI – Realities from the Margins, we meet Grace, an electrical engineer from Kakuma refugee camp, who is reshaping how we think about technology, knowledge, and peace.  Grace reflects on the power of uniting human knowledge with artificial intelligence to create real impact for her community in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, and for her home community in Sudan. She warns against over-reliance on AI, reminding us that true education is about knowledge, emotions, and resilience. “If you depend more on AI,” she says, “it will be a waste of time at university for four years.”  Her message is also a call to action for girls everywhere: never give up on education. Looking ahead fifty years, Grace challenges us to imagine how AI could build not just machines, but machines for peace.  🎧 Tune in and be inspired by Grace’s vision for a future where learning and technology serve humanity.

Rethinking Education in the Age of AI: A Voice from the Margins

“If the world relies only on AI, it means the world is ignoring us — our struggles, our stories, our potential.”  In this powerful opening episode to Higher Ed Voices at the Margins Season 2, Lay Lay, a graduate of the Learning Facilitator programme and teacher in Myanmar, shares her perspective on how education must change in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence — and what’s at stake when the voices, struggles, and knowledge of marginalised communities are ignored.  She calls for a shift in the role of educators, a move beyond textbooks, and the creation of learning systems that reflect all realities — not just the privileged ones. Her voice is a bold reminder that inclusive education starts with listening to those at the margins.  Tune in to Season 2: AI: Realities from the Margins !