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refugee entrepreneurship

Kristina Vayda, Executive Director of FAIRE, France,

This article was first published in 2021 in the Entrepreneurial Mindset Network eZINE Volume 4 no 2

Kristina Vayda is the Executive Director of FAIRE (Fund for Action and Innovation by Refugee Entrepreneurs), a newly created endowment fund based in France. In this article, she explains how refugees and migrants can be helped to gain the essential skills, knowledge and experience they need to become entrepreneurs.

According to the United Nations, an “unprecedented 70.8 million people around the world have been forced to flee their homes.” Forced migration is a reality; with unresolved conflicts and the climate crisis, this number is likely to increase.

Countries and states must have long-term policies and strategies to effectively manage these present and future challenges and to ensure the inclusion of migrants and refugees in host countries. Refugee entrepreneurship is one of many possible solutions that allow refugees to play a role in their own professional integration and to contribute to the economic growth of their new country.

Image credit: FAIRE

In 2019, FAIRE and CFE (Centre for Entrepreneurs) in the United Kingdom, published the results of a Refugee Entrepreneurship Survey.

The survey covers 39 organisations from 19 countries, in addition to 25 refugee entrepreneurs who agreed to respond to an online questionnaire.

FAIRE’s mission is to support and empower refugees to become successful entrepreneurs in France, and to promote a new vision and approach of refugees’ role, inclusion and contribution to French society through entrepreneurship.

FAIRE achieves its mission by funding existing organisations working with refugee entrepreneurs and selected refugee entrepreneurs directly. FAIRE operates two financial support programs: a donation program for charitable organisations that support refugee entrepreneurship and a 0% interest loan program for refugee-led business projects with a high economic impact.

In 2019, FAIRE and CFE (Centre for Entrepreneurs) in the United Kingdom, published the results of a Refugee Entrepreneurship Survey.

The survey covers 39 organisations from 19 countries, in addition to 25 refugee entrepreneurs who agreed to respond to an online questionnaire.

The Refugee Entrepreneurship Survey looked at both organisations supporting refugee entrepreneurship (incubators for instance) and refugee entrepreneurs themselves. The survey was part of FAIRE’s advocacy program, as changing the narrative is a key part of the fund’s mission.

What can we learn from the survey? Firstly, the work of the participating organisations is focused on three principal areas: economic independence, changing public perception towards refugees and advising government policy.

Secondly, all the organisations offer programmes that focus on the needs of refugee entrepreneurs, including business plan development, coaching and networking.

The survey demonstrates the positive results of these programmes. Since 1994, 12,960 new businesses have been launched, of which 12,052 are still operating. The majority of businesses have been created in the food sector and creative industries. Overall, however, the number of sectors mentioned remain quite large and encompass other areas such as the environment, engineering, Fintech, etc.

From the perspective of refugees, the feedback is equally positive. Since 1994, 18,923 refugees have taken part in an entrepreneur support programme, resulting in the creation of 18,127 paid jobs. Around the world, 79 per cent of refugees surveyed agreed they gained essential skills, knowledge and experience during their training. ◼️

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