The DREEM project by WUSC supports young refugee entrepreneurs in Kenya by offering financing, digital skills training, and mentorship. Shifting from unsustainable subsidies to sustainable business models, DREEM empowers youth-led enterprises, digital hubs, and RLOs, fostering online entrepreneurship and work. This approach drives systemic, inclusive change for refugee communities.
Spark Talk | WUSC’s DREEM: Igniting Refugee Entrepreneurship in a Digital World
Young refugees and displaced individuals face numerous challenges in starting and growing businesses. Legal and economic barriers often prevent them from accessing formal work, making digital entrepreneurship an attractive alternative. The DREEM project, led by Chiedza Pasipanodya and Duncan Kipkirui from the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), provides critical support to refugee entrepreneurs in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement.
Rethinking Support for Refugee Entrepreneurs
Refugee-led internet businesses often rely on short-term, subsidy-based support from NGOs, which can be unsustainable and uncoordinated. DREEM tackles this challenge by focusing on sustainable, market-driven solutions. Through its Innovation Fund, DREEM finances promising youth-led startups, while also providing tailored training and mentorship to equip young refugees with the digital skills needed for online work.
One key strategy is to support cyber-cafes and digital hubs run by youth entrepreneurs. These enterprises serve as crucial access points for internet-based work, enabling other refugees to gain digital skills, find jobs, and start online businesses. By investing in these hubs, DREEM helps build the foundation for a more self-sustaining digital economy.
Refugee-Led Organizations: A New Approach
The DREEM project also supports refugee led organizations (RLOs) to move beyond basic training and build sustainable business models. By adding commercial activities such as job matching and workspace management, RLOs can better serve the needs of their communities while generating income. This approach fills a gap in the market and ensures that support services for refugees are not only accessible but also viable in the long term.
Creating Long-Term Opportunities
Emerging evidence from DREEM’s work shows that investing in sustainable business models for digital training and support can create significant opportunities for refugees in online entrepreneurship. By combining financing, training, and mentorship, the program provides a comprehensive package that not only empowers individual entrepreneurs but also strengthens the broader digital ecosystem within refugee communities.
A Call to Action
DREEM’s approach demonstrates that refugees are more than just survivors—they are visionary leaders capable of driving economic development. To maximize impact, stakeholders must expand support for sustainable digital enterprises and build inclusive pathways for refugee entrepreneurs to thrive. Empowering young refugees to succeed in the digital economy is not only an investment in individual futures but also a catalyst for systemic, inclusive change.