Solutions Festival | Community Action Project Presentation on NRI Returnee Students

At the Solutions Festival, participants of School for Social Transformation (SST) 8.0 continued to present community-driven ideas shaped through lived experience and reflection. The next presentation was by Misab Muhyudheen Muneer, who introduced his Community Action Project titled “Homieward – Adapting Returnees.”

About the Project

Misab’s project focuses on NRI returnee students, young people who return to Kerala for higher education after growing up in Gulf countries. As highlighted in his presentation, around 10–15% of NRI families send their children back for undergraduate or postgraduate studies, and many of these students live in hostels or private rentals away from their families, often facing loneliness and emotional stress.

Many of them struggle with new learning methods and classroom systems, difficulty forming peer groups and finding a familiar social environment, cultural and lifestyle differences, and adjusting to local food and living conditions while being away from home for the first time. These adaptation challenges significantly affect their mental well-being, confidence, and sense of belonging.

The Proposed Solution

The project proposes building a dedicated community for NRI returnee students by offering structured support through four core pillars: physical engagement and opportunities to connect with the local community, mental health support and coping strategies guided by experienced mentors, exposure to local culture, food, and social circles, and expert-designed programmes that maximise learning and growth opportunities.

Misab outlined an action plan that begins with piloting the initiative at Farook College with 20 students, along with creating a database and volunteer network. The project will connect students with experts and alumni, organise adaptation camps, and gradually expand into a structured support system where students can build meaningful connections and access new opportunities.

Why It Matters

This presentation highlighted an often-invisible group,students who appear “privileged” but quietly struggle with belonging and identity. Misab’s project reframes adaptation as a collective responsibility rather than an individual burden.

By addressing emotional, cultural, and social gaps, the initiative recognises that education is not only academic, it is deeply human.

A Step Forward

As part of the Solutions Festival, this presentation stood as a commitment to ensuring that returnee students do not feel like strangers in their own homeland. By creating spaces of care, connection, and guidance, Homieward lays the foundation for a future where every returning student can feel supported, understood, and at home.