We trained 18 refugee youth in Dadaab to do remote work last week, and they proved beyond a doubt that this is a viable form of income generation. Here’s a pic from one of our sessions:

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The youth we trained, aged 18 to 27, showed they can complete web-based tasks from an IT center built by CARE in Dagahaley and Ifo Camps. Specifically, they were asked a yes/no question: given a company name and location, verify whether it has a website, and if so provide the URL. We set them up with @samasource.org email addresses, showed them how to complete the tasks for about an hour, and then gave them a URL where the tasks were pre-loaded into a simple interface created by Dolores Labs, an SF-based company.

The CARE International security officer gave me the following stats today: the camps in Dadaab are home to 275,000 people who are not allowed to have work permits. Their rations do not include sugar, meat, or firewood (because of a local shortage). They are getting desperate, especially the youth. Even $2 a day from remote work would make a huge difference in their lives. 



One Response to “Results of the Refugee Experiment”  

  1. Leila, congratulations. This is inspiring and touching work that you’re doing. Here’s to more innovation at the bottom of the pyramid.


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