Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . Co-hosted by Clay Lowe and Camila Massa , this conversation features Vestine Ihimbazwe , a business development leader, digital strategist, and youth tech mentor who grew up in Kakuma Refugee ...
Aug 15, 2025•51 min•Ep. 29
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . Co-hosted by Clay Lowe and Lorraine Charles , this conversation features Nick Murphy , CEO and Co-Founder of Kutana Pay , a fintech company reimagining payments across Africa and other emergin...
Aug 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 28
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . In this powerful episode, we are joined by Sherrifa, a resilient learner originally from Sudan, now based in Ethiopia. Her story is one of determination, heartbreak, and healing, a journey sha...
Aug 01, 2025•31 min•Ep. 27
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na’amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we take a closer look at the world of digital remote jobs, through the eyes of refugees living and working in Kenya. Co-hosted by Clay Lowe and Gerawork Teferra (Gera) , this conversation features Daniel , a digital entrepreneur and Na’amal alumnus who grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Togeth...
Jul 25, 2025•55 min•Ep. 26
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . In this episode, we are joined by Seid and Maria, two individuals whose lives have been reshaped through meaningful work after displacement. Co-hosted by Clay Lowe and Amber, this conversation...
Jul 20, 2025•42 min•Ep. 25
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . In this episode, we explore one of the biggest barriers to digital inclusion: connectivity . Without access to infrastructure and the internet, displaced individuals are excluded from the very...
Jul 11, 2025•57 min•Ep. 24
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . In this compelling episode, we sit down with Sharmi Surianarain, Chief Impact Officer at Harambee, to explore why the future of work is not just in Africa, but is African. Sharmi shares her tw...
Jul 04, 2025•53 min•Ep. 23
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . We're thrilled to welcome Elvis , a renowned researcher and consultant specializing in the future of work in Sub-Saharan Africa. He's joined by our fantastic co-host, Lorraine , as they explor...
Jun 27, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 22
Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3 , brought to you by Na'amal , a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future . This episode of Voices of Resilience delves into the evolving landscape of work in Africa, particularly focusing on the role of digital transformation and the unique contributions of forcibly ...
Jun 20, 2025•58 min•Ep. 21
In this compelling episode of Voices of Resilience , host Clay Lowe sits down with Daniela Alba , an advocacy and communications specialist at Jesuit Refugee Service in Rome. Daniela shares her powerful personal story as a Mestizo woman from Colombia who experienced forced displacement as a child and has since dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of forcibly displaced people worldwide. Together, they unpack the evolving landscape of labor rights in the digital economy , the increasing...
Jan 30, 2025•59 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, host Clay Lowe speaks with Giselle Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of EqualReach, and Susan Achiech, Founder of Tech-Femme Algorithms and a full-stack developer from Kakuma refugee camp. Together, they explore how transitioning from traditional freelancing to team-based project work can create meaningful opportunities for displaced talent. Giselle shares how EqualReach connects skilled refugee talent with global businesses through streamlined processes, while Susan discusses her journ...
Jan 23, 2025•37 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of Voices of Resilience , we explore the transformative potential of Jobtech in fostering inclusivity for refugees. Guests Brenda from the Jobtech Alliance and Simon from the African Youth Action Network, share their expertise, highlighting innovative approaches to reducing barriers, empowering displaced individuals, and integrating them into the digital economy. Key topics include scaling tech-enabled skilling platforms, bridging gaps in digital literacy and advanced training, a...
Jan 16, 2025•58 min•Ep. 18
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 ...
Dec 05, 2024•42 min•Ep. 17
In this episode, we delve into the opportunities offered by digital platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Appen, as well as specialized platforms like NaTakallam and Step Up One, which leverage refugees' unique skills in areas such as language tutoring and cultural exchange. Emerging platforms like CrowdGen by Appen are also highlighted for their adaptability in supporting refugee workers. The episode emphasizes the importance of soft skills for digital success, including communication, time manage...
Nov 21, 2024•57 min•Ep. 16
In this episode, we focus on education and skill development for the future of work, with guests Laura Jardine Patterson, founder of CONCAT, and Justin Justin Paluku Mbunzule, a data analyst and Kenyan refugee involved in supporting other refugees in Uganda. Justine founded UP With Africa and supported MIT ReaCT in opening their Hub in Uganda at a center where he taught other refugees about IT. Justin, a refugee in Uganda, emphasizes the need for access to advanced education and technology to em...
Nov 14, 2024•36 min•Ep. 15
This episode explores the intersection of AI technology and refugee employment, featuring Jina Krause-Vilmar, President and CEO of Upwardly Global, and Blein Alem, a network admin and IT support professional. The discussion delves into the potential of AI to empower refugees and immigrants in their career journeys, as well as the challenges they face in accessing and utilizing AI tools for career development. Jina and Blein share insights on the impact of AI on workforce programs, the need for i...
Nov 08, 2024•52 min•Ep. 14
In our latest podcast episode, Chris Maclay, Program Director at Jobtech Alliance, explores the changing landscape of work in Africa, highlighting the transformative role of "Jobtech" platforms. He shares how digital platforms are now a necessity to connect people to job opportunities, including those from marginalised groups like refugees and women. Chris also discusses the importance of digital upskilling and adaptability as critical components for a workforce increasingly influenced by AI and...
Nov 03, 2024•41 min•Ep. 13
Season 2 of the Voices of Resilience podcast themed ' The Future of Work for Refugees ' dives deeper into the intersection of technology and remote work, specifically focusing on how these factors impact forcibly displaced individuals and refugees. In Season 1, the podcast amplified the voices of refugees, sharing their personal journeys, challenges, and successes in securing dignified livelihoods. This season builds on that by bringing in experts from the fields of migration, technology, and th...
Oct 24, 2024•14 min•Ep. 12
In this teaser for Season 2, Na’amals’ Executive Director Lorraine Charles, highlights Na’amals’ work over the past year, including the release of their impact report and the launch of two new projects in Kenya and Ethiopia. These initiatives support refugees and host communities in accessing remote employment. She also shares news about an exciting new research project, funded by the World Bank, which aims to explore the impact of training and support for refugees to secure remote work. Stay co...
Oct 19, 2024•1 min•Ep. 11
Tune in to listen to an episode where Lorraine, Alpha, Sonia, and Clay reflect on the intakes and lessons from the episodes from Series 1 of the podcast Voices of Resilience. This episode presents the vision and mission of the Migration Summit, happening in April 2023 - a month-long global convening designed to build bridges between diverse communities of displaced learners, universities, companies, nonprofits and NGOs, social enterprises, foundations, philanthropists, researchers, policymakers,...
Mar 27, 2023•37 min•Ep. 10
On this week’s episode, we spoke to Nassim Majidi. She is a researcher and the co-founder of Samuel Hall, a social enterprise dedicated to conducting research on migration and forced displacement in Asia, Africa, and Europe with the goal of informing policy action and other forms of positive impact for communities. Nassim speaks to us about her paper titled ‘Storytelling in Research with Refugees’ which explores the potential that presenting research through storytelling has in both capturing th...
Mar 16, 2023•29 min•Ep. 9
Everyone has a story and each story needs a way of expression. For some, it is poetry, for others through music. Marieke and Sarah create both poetry and music with the refugee community at a refugee center in Belgium. The safe space they created for people to be authentic and share their stories has its own journey of commitment, passion and love for poetry, music, and humans. In this week’s episode, Marieke and Sarah talk about the process of creating songs and poems about migration stories wi...
Mar 09, 2023•46 min•Ep. 8
When war broke out in Syria, 31-year-old Baraah Ramadan hoped that she would, somehow, still be able to live in her home and lead an ordinary life. However, when a bomb nearly struck her house, she realized she needed to flee to a safer environment with her husband and three children. In this week’s episode, Baraah talks about how uniquely difficult forced migration is for women and mothers. She speaks about how remote working made it possible for her to be able to support her family while raisi...
Mar 02, 2023•23 min•Ep. 7
Suha has been working on raising awareness and empowering migrants and refugees around the world for many years. She is passionate about storytelling and she finds inspiration and strength in the stories of the people she works with every day. She is the Co-Founder and Strategic Director of Migration Jam, a storytelling platform founded and run by refugees and migrants that seeks to change the mainstream negative narratives about migrants and refugees through ethical storytelling and inter-commu...
Feb 23, 2023•36 min•Ep. 6
Upon completing his Ph.D. at Brunel University in London in 2001, Nael Yasri was excited to return home to Syria. He was looking forward to being surrounded by his culture and playing his part in bringing quality education to his community. After briefly settling into his role as a chemistry professor at the University of Aleppo and starting a family, Nael was forced to flee his home with his wife and three young children in 2013 following the attacks in Aleppo, Syria. In this week’s episode, Na...
Feb 16, 2023•23 min•Ep. 5
Ziad is a 26-year-old young man from Syria. He is currently residing in Germany, learning the language, and studying to get his degree in medicine and work as a physician. He graduated from the MIT ReACT Computer and Data Science programme in 2021 and participated in the Migration Summit 2022 as a storyteller. This year, he is helping to organise the 2023 Migration Summit as a co-leader of the Communication Committee. He has volunteered with many organizations as a translator, academic mentor, a...
Feb 09, 2023•27 min•Ep. 4
At the age of 12, Alnarjes Harba was forced to flee her home in Syria after it had been bombed seven times She then led her mother to a refugee camp in Lebanon. While in Lebanon, she lived in extremely difficult conditions. Despite this, Alnarjes achieved exceptional results in her schooling and ultimately landed a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Management at Southern New Hampshire University while living in Lebanon. She is currently studying MSc in Global Health and Con...
Feb 02, 2023•24 min•Ep. 3
Ahmad is originally from Syria. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in Iraq where he works as an English instructor and accountant. His dream is to become a grammarian and specialize in English syntax. The story he shares with us in this episode depicts some of the challenges he faced for not having the official label of being a “refugee" when migrating to another country. When the war started in Syria, Ahmad was forced to migrate temporarily to Lebanon. His journey to achieving his dr...
Jan 26, 2023•30 min•Ep. 2
Na’amal was born out of Lorraine’s research about digitalization, employment, and the economic situation of refugees in the Middle East. We knew that there was a better way for refugees to earn a living and overcome the precarious conditions and indignity of informal work. This led to the creation of Na’amal’s programmes, which provide refugees and other vulnerable populations training in marketable skills required in the global labour market and link them to these jobs. In this episode, we unpa...
Jan 19, 2023•36 min•Ep. 1
In this trailer episode, we hear from the founder of Na'amal, Lorraine Charles. She shares her vision of the podcast and what we aim to achieve using the medium of voice to share stories of resilience from refugees and other displaced people. Music: Marieke Slovin Lewis, Ph.D
Dec 12, 2022•4 min
