1. Understand the global refugee crisis and the role of the private sector
65.3 million people are forcibly displaced today.
About 1/3 of these people have crossed international borders in search of safety and are registered as refugees.
To learn more about the global refugee crisis, click here.
Refugees face a variety of challenges. The Partnership's impact areas focus on the following:
Education
75 million children living in crisis and conflict are in desperate need of educational support.
Click here to learn more
Employment
Refugees face a number of challenges that impede their ability to access employment opportunities.
Click here to learn more.
Enablement
Inadequate banking solutions and lack of access to connectivity hinder a refugee's ability to integrate in an unfamiliar environment.
Click here to learn more.
How You Fit:
89% of CEOs say commitment to sustainability is translating into real impact in their industry.
80% of CEOs believe that demonstrating
a commitment to societal purpose is a
differentiator in their industry.
2. Consider WHY: Develop a commitment to create societal value and business value
Over 21 million refugees globally face a variety of challenges to achieving self-reliance. Click below to learn more about why your company should support efforts across these impact areas:
A recent Tent Foundation study on the economic dividends of investment in refugees showed that public investment of €1 in a refugee, will yield a return of nearly €2 in GDP growth within 5 years.
Click here to learn about building shared value to support refugees.
3. Define HOW: Take action based on capabilities, resources and expertise
4. Take Action: Formally commit to specifically what the company will do and the level of impact
EDUCATION
Learn more about how to get involved across the impact areas. Click to download:
Education
Employment
Enablement
Engagement Roadmap
Education
Employment
Enablement
Engagement Roadmap
Facilitate Access to Education
- Provide technology solutions that allow educators to reach refugee students in countries of first asylum (distance learning opportunities through connectivity, tablets, laptops, etc.)
- Develop or facilitate access to non-traditional educational opportunities, including digital curricula, textbooks, and content
- Offer school meals or stipends for refugee students
- Provide infrastructure for temporary or permanent educational facilities and tools
- Provide school supplies, including textbooks, tablets, projectors, etc.
- Establish scholarship funds to enable refugees to access education at all levels
- Offer transportation for children to attend and remain in school
- Provide access to pre-primary education for essential development for those ages 3-5
- Support pre-high school equivalency or remedial courses to prepare students for language and content requirements of high school
- Provide access for students with disabilities
- Provide free flights, textbooks and housing assistance to refugees who are traveling to the United States to attend college
Improve Quality of Education
- Deliver STEM specific course content helping to provide refugees with fundamental math and science skills
- Support age-appropriate remedial reading and writing classes to provide for children who lost foundational skills due to interrupted education
- Provide training, customized curriculum, and recruiting support for teachers or administrators to ensure a quality education
- Support mentoring and coaching of teachers and facilitate incentive programs to increase teacher retention
- Develop or facilitate language training courses, including digital and playful learning solutions customized for children needs
- Facilitate remote and live educational workshops providing refugees with innovative non-formal learning opportunities to build market-driven skills
- Support mentorship or coaching opportunities for students
- Offer education software to improve programs and monitor student progress
- Support girls’ education in STEM fields
- Develop and deliver elective courses to diversify students’ education (e.g. music, art, physical education, etc.)
Foster Social Cohesion Through Education
- Invest in infrastructure funding and training for safe environment programs providing structured learning and extracurricular activities to refugees within schools
- Promote centers that provide information on education opportunities, child protection, and psychosocial support ("Makani Centers")
- Establish public awareness tools/campaigns (e.g. comic book series that teaches disease prevention and camp safety)
- Facilitate and ensure access to culturally inspired peacebuilding training curriculum to support teachers confronting psychological needs of traumatized students
- Support junior community health worker programs that integrate mental health and health education
- Develop innovative resources supporting refugees physiological development, including non formal curriculum, play-based content, or arts and sports therapy
- Invest in soft skills education, which can be a critical component of integration and peacebuilding, while providing continued learning opportunities to students that can help mitigate trauma of forced migration
EMPLOYMENT
Hire and Train
- Commit to hiring refugees as a part of broader talent strategy
- Ensure career advancement opportunities for refugee employees
- Provide counseling or mentorship opportunities for refugee employees
- Create new technologies or software to match skilled refugees to available employment opportunities
- Offer online freelance opportunities for refugees
- Offer work-based learning opportunities, including internships or apprenticeships
- Offer technical training (e.g. computing / technology, code bootcamp, app development, outsourcing)
- Offer funding for certifications or re-certifications
- Establish an online training community with trained volunteer support (including e-learning modules)
- Offer soft skills training (cultural training, professionalism training, etc.)
- Offer language skills training (adult language software) or translation services
- Offer transportation support for refugee employees (driver’s education, bus passes, etc.)
- Offer childcare options for employees
Support Workforce Development
- Offer access to remote interactive training for job search, including resume writing, career navigation, interviewing, and networking skills
- Donate professional items refugees are likely to need, such as business clothing and briefcases
- Provide refugees with career navigation tools and services or other platforms that can be used to identify potential employers
- Provide remote pre-employment language, soft skills, or industry-specific technical training
- Host on-site networking events for refugees and staff
- Support or lead awareness-raising events among business associations and chambers of commerce on the importance of hiring refugees and the unique skills they bring to a workplace
- Develop solutions to fill market information gaps for employers, including information about the labor market and regulatory environment
- Support refugee women’s access to the work place through home-based work
Support Refugee Entrepreneurs
- Enable access to capital or investors
- Offer mentorship and/or counseling to refugee entrepreneurs
- Offer entrepreneurship skills training (Business plan development, etc.)
- Integrate refugee-owned businesses into existing incubators or accelerators
- Offer business software or legal services for new entrepreneurs
- Procure from refugee-owned businesses (Build supply-chain relationships)
- Support awareness-raising events for banks and lending institutions to promote understanding on refugee populations need for credit and value of lending to support refugee businesses
- Donate needed physical assets and tools (laptops, smart phones)
- Offer access to the physical infrastructure needed to start their own business (building space, supplies)
ENABLEMENT
Provide State Support
- Offer philanthropic contributions to state & local organizations
- Support in-country transportation
- Cover costs of overseas transportation
- Support infrastructure for food distribution
- Offer immediate and long-term shelter/housing solutions
- Strengthen local healthcare systems (train healthcare workers, provide medical supplies, etc.)
Promote Financial Inclusion
- Provide access to financial services, including bank accounts and direct loans for access to immediate funding
- Offer refugee starter banking packages with accompanying products and orientation
- Support financial services training (applications process, account maintenance, etc.) through training, translation, and guides
- Offer free financial consultations to help refugees make more informed financial decisions in the face of unique challenges
- Support mobile accounts or digital payments infrastructure for banking solutions that make it easier for refugees to access financial services
Improve Technology Access
- Help refugees connect digitally by increasing availability, quality, and/or affordability of internet access
- Support digital literacy among refugee communities
- Offer direct funding or donations for physical technological tools (phones, laptops, desktops, charging stations, etc. as ‘welcome packages’)
- Support mobile and digital tools (e.g. apps for translation or networking) to enable education or employment opportunities
- Develop an electronic resettlement record system for refugees
- Support digital identification systems for refugees
Learn how other companies have made a difference for refugees:
Through its support for NetHope, Microsoft has helped bring connectivity services to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. With connectivity, refugees have been able to access information and resources, and connect to family. Click here to learn more.
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