Talent Together-Entrepreneurship

The project in brief

The project is implemented by The Refugee Council in Lithuania. It began in February 2023 and is currently wil end in February 2024. 

 The project was supposed to help 8 Refugees to develop their capacity and skills to contribute to Lithuanian community economically and socially, but we could build a strong network of mentors and volunteers to contribute to the project and 15 refugees been connected with their mentors and we could accommodate many more refugees out the of project to benefit and enjoy the trainings and consultations.

The aim of the project is to support target refugees to create networks, develop skills and knowledge enabling them to open or strengthen their current / own business.

Elements that facilitated the implementation of the project included technical support e.g mentorship services, trainings, consultations and experience exchange events.

Main activities of the Good Practice

We conducted a research to know the gaps, challenges and problems of refugees willing to enter the business market or expand their current business, so based on the findings, we designed our entrepreneurship program, which is a very inclusive and comprehensive one. It moves through the complete cycle of entrepreneurship using the best practices from our partners in NORDIC and BALTIC states.

Partners involved

What challenges were encountered in delivering the project and how were they overcome?

Challenges

• Outreaching refugee entrepreneurs
• Building mentors' network
• Lack of budget to cover all project linked expenses

How they were overcome

We could find some leaders from different refugee communities to help us accessing refugees. We coordinated with many different companies and organizations working in the same field. This helped us to have many business mentors for refugees and allowed us to connect with other projects. We also relied on volunteers.
 

Results of the Good Practice

It is still early to speak about changes, but immediate results look quite good and inspiring as many refugees could have a chance to benefit from the project.

In what way does the good practice meet one or more of the four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees?

Objective 2: Enhance refugee self-reliance

It helps refugees to have their own business, expand and enjoy their journey and contribute to country economically and socially. It helps them build their self-resilience in one way or another.

Next steps

We are looking for alternative projects to build on the results and continue, but current project will not be extended by UNHCR.

Are there areas in which support would be required to continue and/or scale up your good practice?

We need fund/grant and partnership to make it more inclusive and sustainable and cover more refugees in different cities of Lithuania.

Akhtar Mohammad Akhgar, Programs Coordinator

[email protected]