MI Awards $10,000 Civil Society Fellowship to Founder of Refugee Schools in Atlanta and Columbus

The Manhattan Institute announced Luma Mufleh will receive a $10,000 fellowship for her work at Fugees Family, Inc. Mufleh founded Fugees Family in 2004 as a soccer team for refugee children living outside of Atlanta, Ga. Today, it’s an award-winning national nonprofit and independent school network that combines the healing qualities of organized soccer with a customized academic approach to empower refugee children in the classroom and beyond.

 “America took me in just as it has our students,” said Mufleh, a Jordanian asylee and Muslim of Syrian descent. “Our schools help children cherish where they come from, while teaching them that they have a place here as new Americans. I’m looking forward to partnering with the Manhattan Institute to amplify our stories and reach new audiences so we can have an even greater impact.”

The Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Fellows Program recognizes nonprofit leaders who are developing innovative solutions to America’s most pressing social problems. Mufleh is one of three fellows who will participate in the 10-month program that increases the visibility of nonprofit leaders nationwide, so others can see what is possible in their own communities.

“Luma’s schools focus on students who have been through real trauma and shouldn’t be expected to fit into America’s traditional education system,” said Annie Dwyer, the director of the Manhattan Institute’s Civil Society Fellows Program. “The Fugees Family is changing the course of these kids’ lives, and we hope this fellowship will help Luma open new schools around the country.”

The Civil Society Fellows Program will kick off on February 19, 2019.

ABOUT FUGEES FAMILY

Inspirational founder and CEO Luma Mufleh started Fugees Family, Inc. in 2004 as a soccer team for refugee children and has grown it into the nation’s only school network dedicated to refugee education. Fugees Family empowers child survivors of war to integrate successfully into their new country by providing them the support and structure they need to realize their vast potential. With campuses in Atlanta, Ga., Columbus, Ohio, and more locations planned, Fugees Family is embarking on a multi-year, scaling effort to replicate its proven educational model in carefully selected cities and bring its mission of leveling the playing field to young refugees nationwide.

ABOUT THE CIVIL SOCIETY FELLOWS PROGRAM

The Civil Society Fellows Program is a part of the Manhattan Institute’s Tocqueville Project that seeks to advance America’s tradition of nonprofit leaders, volunteers, and private philanthropists working together to develop solutions to our most pressing social problems. Based in New York City, the Manhattan Institute serves as a leading voice of free-market ideas, shaping political culture since 1977. Learn more here.