© © UNHCR/Paul Absalon
Africa Shares is a forum that highlights refugees as assets to the communities that host them. From the 14 to 16 March, UNHCR will host the event in Geneva, where refugees' skills in artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship will be on display.
Eight projects from seven countries will be exhibited: Instant Network Schools (Kenya), Malian refugee artisans (Burkina Faso), We Love Reading (Ethiopia), an energy-saving fuel project (Rwanda), One Love cooperative (Zimbabwe), Microsoft internet connectivity (Malawi), urbanization and subsidized gas initiatives (Niger).
Africa Shares shows that innovation is wide-spread across the continent, and that refugees and displaced communities are the drivers of innovation. Through it, they are translating challenges into opportunities and success stories
Burkina Faso: Refugee artisans project
Malian refugee artisans are fusing their traditional skills with modern techniques to create innovative quality products that are sold through international markets. UNHCR has partnered with Afrika Tiss - a social enterprise that is helping develop a responsible handmade textile sector in West Africa - to enhance the artisans' sense of dignity and purpose by helping them preserve an age-old artisan trade, rebuild their livelihoods and connect to global markets
Ethiopia: We Love Reading
We Love Reading is a quick method of introducing reading in a fun way that is ideal for engaging out-of-school children. In Gambella, where over 332,000 South Sudanese refugees are hosted and school enrolment is low, the project is creating a generation of children who love, respect and enjoy books.
Kenya: Instant Network Schools
The INS programme has grown significantly since the Vodafone Foundation partnered with UNHCR in 2014 to connect schools in Dadaab camp. There are currently 31 schools spread out in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania where students are enjoying the benefits of connectivity and accessing a broader online world.
Malawi: Internet and Mobile Connectivity
Majority of refugees and displaced communities live in places where digital networks and infrastructure are lacking or the available connectivity is too expensive. For this reason, UNHCR has teamed up with Microsoft to provide internet connectivity to refugees living in Dzaleka Camp.
Niger: Access to Gas Project
UNHCR has partnered with a private gas company in Niger to establish a gas provision system across the Diffa Region where one third of the population is forcibly displaced. Now, this population is the best served rural area in the Sahel region in terms of access to gas.
Niger: Urbanization project
In Diffa, UNHCR is working closely with local authorities and communities on a shelter project that is providing legal access to land for displaced families, while contributing to the local economy. Over 2,000 land parcels have been distributed as construction of sustainable long-term housing continues.
Rwanda: Sustainable cooking fuel
In Kigeme camp, refugee families are enjoying the benefits of using the Mimi Moto cook stove - a clean biomass-fuelled stove that dramatically reduces fuel consumption and exposure to harmful smoke emissions. UNHCR has partnered with Inyenyeri, a local renewable energy company, to provide 300 families with the energy-efficient stoves.
Zimbabwe: One Love Poultry project
A farming project by One Love - a refugee cooperative in Tongagara refugee camp, is giving hope and food security to refugees. What started as a small poultry project has developed into a vibrant business that includes a piggery and an irrigation system that's improving agricultural conditions within the camp.