The U.N. estimates that there are 59.5 million people displaced in the world today, more than those displaced by WWII and any event in history, according to four Creighton professors involved in the Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins program.

Of the many things taken from these refugees, like their homes, jobs and families, opportunities for education stands out to JC:HEM. According to its website, Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins is a global partnership of organizations, institutions and individuals who focus on providing education to those would otherwise not have access to it.

Last Thursday, four faculty members of Creighton University presented the new film “JC:HEM: Transformations at the Margins,” followed by short presentations.

JC:HEM was started by Mary McFarland in partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Service in 2010 with the mission statement: “Transform thinking. Transform the world.” McFarland intended to bridge the gap between those with a vast amount of higher education, and those with very little opportunity for higher education.

McFarland said that more than 1,960 students have passed through their programs since the pilot year of JC:HEM in 2010.

Students in the JC:HEM program meet once every eight weeks for a three-hour class. To obtain their diploma, students must complete 45 credit hours over the three-year program. The vast majority of their schooling takes place online, though there is occasionally a teacher present.

“For the students, learning is as important as food and shelter,” said Jay Carney, a theology professor and the Director of African Studies at Creighton.

Carney traveled with several other Creighton faculty members to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwest Kenya over the summer of 2015. Martha Habash, professor of Classics and Near Eastern Studies at Creighton, traveled with the group as well. Habash has taught applied linguistics through the JC:HEM program and is one of seven teachers from Creighton who has volunteered for the program this year.

For Habash, one of the most striking parts about the JC:HEM program, is the sheer intelligence and determination of the students. The average stay in a refugee camp is 17 years, and the time spent there does not go to waste.

“The presentation makes you understand why education is such a necessity in the refugee camps: Because educating those that are in the camps allows them to help educate others in their communities or to make an impact through helping with business,” said College of Arts and Sciences student Brittni Gochnauer, who was present at the presentation.

While there is currently no opportunity for students to travel to the refugee camps for various security reasons, Creighton faculty are looking to get students involved in online tutoring in the future.