Voices of Resilience

In this episode of Voices of Resilience, host Clay Lowe speaks with Rai Friedman, founder and CEO of Global Rights Defenders, about the impact of government policies on refugee employment, using Kenya as a key case study. Rai shares her journey into refugee advocacy and highlights the importance of migration governance in creating sustainable solutions for refugee integration. The discussion explores Kenya’s innovative policies under the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), such as transitioning refugee camps into settlements, which have fostered economic growth and social harmony for both refugees and host communities.

Key topics include the barriers to refugee employment, such as restrictive work policies and limited access to formal jobs, and the potential of digital work to empower refugees, despite challenges like lack of ID recognition and banking access. Rai emphasizes the need for inclusive policies and grassroots efforts to bridge gaps between law and practice, enabling refugees to contribute economically and socially. This episode underscores the importance of collaboration among nations and organizations to address the global refugee crisis and unlock opportunities for integration and self-reliance.

What is Voices of Resilience?

The number of people who have been forcibly displaced continues to increase alarmingly; as of mid 2022, the UNHCR has reported that for the first time on record, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has surpassed 100 million. This is a staggering figure in itself, but another tragedy of the enormity of this number is that it often overshadows the fact that every one of those 100+ million is a distinct individual who has had their life irrevocably altered and their inspiring story tends to be buried under the statistics.

During the first edition of the Migration Summit in 2022, we hosted various storytelling sessions where we heard from displaced individuals, with the aim of humanising these statistics. Similar to these sessions, we are looking to amplify the voices of some incredible individuals who have overcome obstacles far beyond our imagination.

The aim of this podcast is to share the journeys of six individuals striving for the dignified life they deserve. Given that education and employment are often a pivotal part of the road to a financially stable, dignified life, this podcast will share insight on their journeys, with a focus on their education paths and livelihoods.

In this podcast, we hope to contribute to the shift in the narrative of refugees across the world and encourage stakeholders and listeners alike to take action. We do not want the label of refugee to define these individuals as powerless victims, instead, we intend to portray them as the determined individuals that they are with full agency to succeed in any way they desire, given the right resources.

This podcast series will consist of seven episodes. It will be released in January, in the run-up to the Migration Summit 2023 which will explore the theme “Co-creating pathways to learning, livelihood, and dignity”.