The Rise of Remote Internships for Refugees

Dmitri Agabe, a resident of Kigali, Rwanda, is the proud owner of a degree in logistics and operations from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Not only did he earn his degree remotely, but he also recently completed a digital internship for One Summer Chicago, where he served as the main point of contact in managing over 100 youth accounts on a digital platform.

‘Thanks to the opportunity to learn from anywhere, I was able to develop my skills in business, communications, and technology,’ said Dmitri. ‘I don’t have to minimize the possibilities offered by my degree in logistics and operations. What matters most to me is that I am making a positive impact.’

Dmitri is an example of how distributed work is changing the dynamics of employers’ relationships with workers through internships. For the first time in history, companies can incorporate interns from anywhere in the world, as long as they have an internet connection. This creates opportunities for young people living in some of the most complex environments in emerging markets, including refugee camps.

In a research article conducted in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), The Intern Group notes that multinational companies’ interns mainly come from North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, where only 14% of the world’s population lives. 12% of companies hire interns from Latin America and only 5% from sub-Saharan Africa. However, this trend is beginning to change, in part, due to an increasing number of organizations that link refugees with internships.

The Intern Group, an established institution in the sector with more than 10,000 alumni of 150 nationalities, has collaborated with MIT to create a portfolio of top-level talent, including universities such as Aga Khan in Nairobi (Kenya) and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico). They link with the MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT) program from MIT, which offers a platform to leverage the potential of refugees, migrants and economically disadvantaged populations who wish to pursue a career in the field of technology.

“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. We are creating a world without borders for talent, closing the gap between talent and opportunity,” said Johanna Molina, co-founder and Impact Director of The Intern Group.

Conversations Unbound, Global Nomads Group, IDInsight, and the Global Education Movement (GEM) of SNHU are some of the organizations that create equitable conditions for refugees, who want experiential learning opportunities like anyone else. Take the story of Noor Maaz, a refugee from Syria who currently lives in Istanbul and is about to graduate with a health degree from SNHU. Noor interned with other refugees from Burundi, Lebanon, and Rwanda before obtaining a part-time position (which will become full-time) at Siriforce (i), a startup composed entirely of refugees “with Silicon Valley-level talent.”

“Today, the world is really huge and opportunities are popping up everywhere,” said Noor, who works remotely in quality assurance and testing. “We were able to master the skills and abilities that allow us to try and succeed, so why not?”

GEM has the fastest-growing remote internship program for refugees in the world and has secured employment for 233 young people working remotely from 10 locations in Kenya, Lebanon, Malawi, Rwanda, and South Africa, with an eleventh site soon to be established in Haiti. The organization often has to help students with residency or visa processing, as refugees are not usually allowed to be paid salaries.

For GEM students living in refugee camps, online internships eliminate geographical barriers and pave the way for the equitable distribution of opportunities. They can apply their skills, knowledge, and abilities in a real-world situation that can lead to paid employment.

Emmanuel Ushindi received practical on-the-job training as a digital intern before his promotion to a full-time position at GEM. ‘We want to be governed by the same standards as students from Harvard or Oxford,’ said Emmanuel, who lives in the Dzaleka refugee camp with 48,000 other refugees. ‘Even though we are vulnerable and marginalized, we can still meet expectations. A community of employers has formed that welcomes these people, and together we seek solutions to the refugee problem. These solutions include internships.’

Rebecca Menes is a global marketing expert at Vitae.