The Conduit Solutions Lab: Refugee Resettlement Summit

illuminem is proud to partner with The Conduit to shine a spotlight on this year’s Refugee Resettlement Summit, to be held in London on February 26-27.

War, conflict, economic inequality, and the climate crisis are driving people away from their homes and countries at an alarming rate. Representing a collaborative community of entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, activists, civil-society leaders, and policymakers, the Conduit is making a concrete impact in tackling this challenge. Over the past few months, the Conduit has evaluated numerous ideas and projects from international organizations, NGOs, and entrepreneurs that facilitate the settlement and integration of refugees into society, grouping them under the following categories: Access to Finance, Housing, Education, Skills, and Training  and Employment.

In this year’s summit, the 12 shortlisted finalists will present their ideas to a diverse audience, including government representatives, global organizations, civil society, and the private sector. The aim is to garner support for these initiatives and collectively work towards addressing the refugee issue.

Finding solutions to the refugee crisis is crucial in navigating the shift towards a more sustainable world. As the leading platform in Sustainability, illuminem is delighted to highlight the prominence of this summit, showcasing the profile and initiatives of the 12 finalists.

Solution 1:  Emery Igiraneza - International Rescue Committee​
Emery Igiraneza, with over 15 years of experience in the UK refugee sector, currently serves as Head of UK Programmes at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). IRC's goal is to empower refugees through leadership development, local engagement, and building connections that enable them to advocate for their communities at different levels. By amplifying refugee voices locally, nationally, and globally, IRC strives to make significant progress in supporting refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, and develop effective policy solutions to address their needs. 

Solution 2: Md. Saiduzzaman Khan - Danish Refugee Council​
The Danish Refugee Council is proposing the "Waste to Wage" project to provide sustainable solutions for Rohingya refugees and host communities. By leveraging DRC's experience in 6 camps and the local partner's expertise, the project aims to improve reintegration outcomes and enable dignified living for refugees. Through the promotion of RMG waste recycling and the utilization of refugee women and workforce, the project aims to reduce carbon footprint and support the integration of refugees in the circular economy. 

Solution 3: Maike Striffler -  Relevant Ventures​
As the Co-Founder of SINA Global, Maike helps social entrepreneurs scale their impact.
To address the funding challenges faced by refugee-led SMEs in Uganda, the Purpose Pool model fills the investment gap in underserved communities. provide capacity building and capital through a peer-to-peer selection process, with repayment based on revenue sharing. 

Solution 4: Georgina Heyland - JOBLINGE​ ​
Georgina Heyland is team lead brand & fundraising at the headquarters of JOBLINGE, an initiative focused on getting young people, facing hardships, into apprenticeships.  The headquarters are responsible for launching new programs, including the Kompass Programme, which supports young immigrants in finding jobs or apprenticeships - to date more than 3.000 have been successfully integrated. 

Solution 5: Mahboobeh Rajabi - Dipact​
Mahboobeh Rajabi is a multi-talented artist and entrepreneur based in Manchester. With a passion for human rights, women's rights, and diversity, she has been using her art forms for the past 14 years to amplify untold stories. DIPACT, an artist-led organization, has created clusters of cafes and art spaces that are managed and led by artists. This innovative approach provides employment opportunities for artists and ensures sustainable income to support their artistic practice while fostering connections between art, culture, and communities. 

Solution 6: Giselle Gonzales and Lorraine Charles - Equal Reach and Na’amal​
Giselle Gonzales, Founder and CEO of EqualReach, runs a social enterprise connecting vetted teams of displaced and host community tech talent with dignified digital work. Think of a fair-trade version of a freelancing marketplace, but with a team and project-based model that funnels income opportunities to some of the world’s most marginalized communities.
Lorraine Charles, Co- Founder and Executive Director of Na'amal, supports forcibly displaced people through marketable skills training and remote work placements. Na’amal’s new agency model now supports graduates from their training programs with real-world, paid projects through EqualReach.
These two solutions combine over 15 years of research on fair livelihood creation to create a pipeline for job creation that takes displaced talent from learning to earning by addressing both the supply and demand sides of economic inclusion for refugees. 

Solution 7: Théo Scubla - each One​
By acting as a trusted intermediary, each One connects refugees and newcomers with jobs, addressing unemployment challenges. Their comprehensive "All-in-One" programs offer 400 hours of training, covering technical skills, soft skills, and French language reinforcement. They also conduct awareness sessions for managers and recruiters, with the goal to create personalized talent pathways that revolutionize refugee integration. 

Solution 8: Madeeha Ansari - Cities For Children​
Cities for Children, founded by Madeeha Ansari, protects the "right to childhood" for vulnerable children - the right to read and play in safety. Their signature Partners in Learning programme is based on a child-to-child model infused with their ethos of playful learning. Through this scalable, replicable model, older children from refugee and asylum-seeking communities are supported to become learning champions for younger children.By creating safe spaces for connection and friendship, the aim is to ease the transition for newly arrived refugee and asylum-seeking children and build resilience and wellbeing for those with ongoing challenges. 

Solution 9: Greg Früchtenicht and Alana Buchanan - Saira Hospitality​
Saira Hospitality​ offers an educational program in London for underprivileged communities, focusing on essential life and communication skills for success in the hospitality industry. Their program provides work experience, classroom study, social engagement, and E-Learning qualifications for four weeks. The goal is to connect talented individuals with hiring partners who will provide ongoing support and opportunities. 

Solution 10: Gotam Bhardwaj - Pairity​
Leveraging technology ethically, Pairity addresses barriers to refugee settlement and integration by proposing innovative ideas building on its proven platforms to drive progress and equitable experiences. Specifically, Pairity will increase accessibility through emerging tech, enhance the proven labour market components of its platform, and gain integration insights by applying machine learning responsibly to its unique global dataset. ​
Outcomes include expanded economic and social inclusion for refugees. By uniting expertise across sectors, Pairity aims to empower millions of refugees worldwide, harnessing responsible innovation to unlock potential and forge prosperity for displaced populations.

Solution 11: Matt Hopewell - Turaco Valley Foods​
Matt is a social entrepreneur who, through the parent NGO Cohere, co-founded Turaco Valley Foods in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, Uganda.
'Turaco' aims to create more robust food systems in refugee-hosting areas, thereby adding value to locally grown produce. Turaco works to produce quality foods, directly offer more favorable market opportunities to marginalized smallholders, fund farmer-skills training and develop key agricultural infrastructure. 

Solution 12: Nova Arkney - GoodFX​
GoodFX delivers economic inclusion & digital training programmes remotely into refugee camps. Through a mixture of live training, 1-1 support, online finance courses, and charity support trainees learn and practice sales and finance skills. Going beyond digital inclusion, refugee trainees are equipped with marketable skills, practical experience and business results to successfully apply for commercial roles in the future. 

Other Events

The Conduit will also host a series of thought-provoking panels. Two, in particular, stand out as worthy of attention:

1. ‘Win-win-win: the benefits of refugee hiring for refugees themselves, businesses, and society as a whole’
   Topic: The panel will focus the challenges that refugees face in finding a job, providing insights on how to accelerate the economic integration of refugees
   Moderator: Hélène van Melle, Deputy Director for Europe, Tent Partnership for Refugees
   Panelists: Natsayi Sithole (Acting CEO, Renaisi); Anil Qasemi (Project Lead, USPUK); Hayley Johnson (Talent Acquisition Consultant, Philips); Ashley Clark (Central Recruitment Manager, Menzies Aviation) 

2. ‘Is entrepreneurship a viable option for economic autonomy?’
   Topic: The panel addresses the crucial significance of financial independence for individuals who have experienced forced displacement, emphasizing its role in empowering them to reconstruct their lives and take control of their destinies. Panelists will explore various perspectives on this challenge, showing how access to capital is often heavily restricted for refugees.
   Moderator: Dr Michelle Richey (Senior Lecturer in Technology and Entrepreneurship, Loughborough Business School)
   Panelists: Sharniya Ferdinand (Enterprise Community Strategy Director, NatWest), Charlie Fraser (Founder, TERN), Laila Majeed (Founder, Gilguzi)

The Refugee Settlement Summit is a key gathering reaffirming the inherent link between human rights and sustainable development, and we look forward to the solutions that will be presented by the above-mentioned speakers.

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