Description
The humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa is well documented. In the Dadaab camp, Kenya alone, over 350, 000 refugees live in precarious conditions. For most of them, returning to their former pastoralist lifestyles is no longer an option. Without a proper skillset, they may well remain trapped in a situation of continued fragility and destitution. The proposed pilot phase of the Refugee Employment & Skills Initiative (RESI) will explore new ways to address protracted humanitarian situations. First, it will test the viability of an innovative approach to allow refugees to gain commercially valuable skills and capacities. Secondly, RESI will explore ways in which the presence of refugees can contribute to value creation and increased resilience in their host country. The methodology proposed seeks to harness the productive potential of refugees in Dadaab (58% of whom are less than 18 years old) and link them to market opportunities. As part of this effort, RESI will document the approaches tested and share its experience with stakeholders, including academia, the humanitarian community and donors.