Dadaab Collective: Teaching digital skills so refugees find jobs

Hawo Abdi, a 30-year-old single mother of two, was working as a refugee community worker in Dadaab, Kenya. She earned 8000 Kenyan shillings ($70) monthly. Living with her mother and raising two children, Hawo's income could barely cover basic needs.

Fleeing from conflict in Somalia, with a lot of uncertainty about what the future holds, Hawo, like other refugees in Dadaab, was only hopeful to earn income legitimately and live a meaningful life.

For some youth, including Hawo, this hope took shape when the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) launched a training on digital freelancing in 2018. The goal was to open the door to employment and better incomes.

For three months, 100 refugees in Dadaab and local Kenyans underwent intensive training and mentorship in digital freelancing. They learned skills such as data entry, translation, web research and photography.

From that first cohort, 83 people successfully graduated. As a next step, ITC and NRC launched the Dadaab Collective Freelancing Agency. The collective started with 19 active members in 2019.

Through the agency, the refugees and the Kenyans used their skills to secure freelancing opportunities online. Clients can either hire Collective members directly through their website, via email or through Upwork, a top freelancing platform.