A Scoping Review of the Embedded Sustainable Way of Living Concept in Education for Refugees

Abstract

Despite increasing attention to refugee education, critical gaps remain in integrating sustainability competencies into humanitarian learning frameworks. This scoping review examines the extent to which sustainability-related themes such as WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), food security, energy literacy, and green livelihoods are embedded in education programs for refugees. From a dataset of 106 Scopus-indexed articles published between 2010 and 2025, we identified a subset (n = 36) focusing on refugee education and sustainability. Thematic coding of titles, abstracts, and keywords revealed a disproportionate emphasis on vocational training and teacher development, with limited representation of hands-on sustainability domains. This paper proposes the Embedded Sustainable Way of Living curriculum. This adaptable, modular model aligns Education for Sustainable Development with humanitarian contexts to address this structural omission and promote climate resilience, autonomy, and equity among displaced learners.