StepUp.One: Connecting refugees with opportunities that pay
“We need access to education whilst at the camp, we need access to opportunity. In a time when goods and capital move freely, humans are locked up in camps for years” – Mohammed Hassan Mohamud, Co-Chair World Economic Forum (2019).
Somali-born Mohammed Hassan Mohamud (pictured) was confined to Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp for more than twenty years. He had no passport, no birth certificate, no opportunities, no hope. In an address broadcast from Kakuma to the World Economic Forum Annual Summit at Davos, Mohammed called for a reframing of global conceptions of displaced peoples:
‘It’s high time that refugees are seen as partners in development efforts, rather than a burden to society. We have people with talents who, given a chance, can perform.’
This brief intervention inspired the 2019 genesis of StepUp.One, an organisation dedicated to re-skilling people living in refugee camps and connecting them to opportunities that pay.
Founder Mohamed Anis and his team decided that the most achievable and globally employable skill to teach StepUp.One Graduates is social media marketing. This skill set empowers graduates to make a social media impact for professionals, businesses and organisations regardless of size, location, audience and/or ambition.
To realise this vision, StepUp.One connected with the United Nations Human Rights Council to initiate a pilot program featuring five students living in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. They partnered with Hootsuite to provide world-class products and had access to the best tool kits and training. The pilot continues to be a success and demonstrates the efficacy of the StepUp.One model and training. All five graduates have maintained and expanded employment for two years and are taking on mentoring roles to provide future students with on-ground support.
It’s high time that refugees are seen as partners in development efforts, rather than a burden to society.
‘It has been 16 months since I started my journey with Stepup.One and I cannot begin to list the number of ways in which their work has impacted my life. First my boss started asking me how I became suddenly so much active on the social media, for someone who has never Tweeted, I now not only have a relevant 500+ followers but if you search #businessrelationships or #B2Brelationships, I am on top of the Twitter search. We also started working on LinkedIn, be it connecting with the right target audience, messaging with my thought leadership. Bahana has simply made a huge difference to my social media world’ – Ryan – Regional Head of Europe, Introhive
“Everyone was aware of social media in the camp, we were voracious consumers. What Stepup.One taught us was that by transforming ourselves from consumers to producers, we can change the game. I realized the power I had in my hands when I saw the awe and surprise in my clients when they saw the work I pulled off them in LinkedIn”
Bahana Hydrogene, Stepup.One Graduate from the Kakuma Refugee Camp.
Over the past two years, StepUp.One graduates have created social media impact for their clients by:
• Building B2B sales pipelines using LinkedIn;
• Building B2C brand awareness using Facebook and Twitter;
• Helping build individual thought leaders on specified hashtags; and
• Delivering visual stories using videos.
In 2021, StepUp.One is growing; aspiring to train and find employment for 500 graduates by 2022 in the Kakuma Refugee Camp. Their plan is to then expand the program to:
• Kutupalong in Bangladesh;
• Daadab in Kenya
• Bidi Bidi in Uganda;
• Jabalia in Gaza;
• Zaatani in Jordan;
• Yida in South Sudan;
• Pugnido in Ethiopia;
• Panian in Pakistan; and
• Nyarugusu and Kalumba in Tanzania.
To achieve this, they are hoping to partner with additional software organisations for access to
programs and training, ethical and media organisations for exposure and recognition, and most
importantly new clients.
Employers of StepUp.One graduates will be part of the reframing of the way the world views
displaced peoples and approaches the refugee crisis. Graduates are highly-skilled and ready to
provide exceptional service to their clients, and have the ongoing support of technical and
marketing experts. All they want is the opportunity to contribute to society and support
themselves – all they need is a step up!
For further information or to engage, please contact Taylor@Stepup.one
About Author/s
