Impact, Entrepreneurship And Empowerment – How Business Schools Are Helping Refugees

In his book, 25 Million Sparks: The Untold Story of Refugee Entrepreneurs, Stanford MBA graduate Andrew Leon Hanna takes the reader on a journey which follows three entrepreneurs: a salon owner, an artist, and a social entrepreneur. All three have the lived experience of being a refugee. Forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict, or other forms of upheaval, refugees embark on arduous journeys in search of safety, stability, and a chance at a better future. While their stories often evoke images of vulnerability and struggle, there is another side to the refugee narrative that is equally inspiring and remarkable—their entrepreneurial spirit.

“Immigrants and refugees have an extremely high rate of entrepreneurship, but face major barriers when it comes to awareness of and access to capital sources, trust in financial institutions, language and technology – even more so during the pandemic,” he previously highlighted to Poets and Quants.

Business schools have always been deeply rooted in fostering innovation and addressing global issues. And a big part of this is the students, who make a profound impact. The causes of refugee migration may often be limited to a single country or region, but the consequences are global, touching many students who may not be refugees themselves but offer their support and utilise the skills they’ve learnt at business school for good.

Business Schools Taking Action for Social Impact

One such inspiring example is Jack Blyzinskyj, an MBA candidate at Imperial College Business School. With a personal connection to Ukraine and deeply moved by the forced displacement of Ukrainian women and children during the invasion, Jack felt compelled to help but was unsure how to contribute. Drawing on his years of experience as an elite-level swimmer, including competing as an Olympic trials finalist and an 11-time NCAA All-American, he naturally saw swimming as an opportunity to raise funds. Jack challenged himself to swim across the English Channel, the icy cold waters between the UK and France, and completed the 21-mile feat just last week.

Through the support of Imperial College and their alumni network, he raised over £100,000 for the Imperial Sanctuary Fund. This fund provides frontline aid, academic enrichment, job placement, and community integration support for displaced Ukrainians. Jack has been actively involved in other initiatives at Imperial College Business School aimed at helping Ukrainian refugees, firmly believing that business schools have a social responsibility to inspire change within their communities; “Initiatives like these have facilitated community integration and fostered positive relationships between refugees and our local community,” he says. “This integration not only benefits refugees by providing support and opportunities but also enriches the community as a whole by promoting diversity and intercultural exchange.”

Connecting Through Entrepreneurship

Meanwhile, at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management in Germany, the Economics and Politics society (FS EcoPol) regularly hosts events focused on refugees and migrant workers. Recent global events such as refugee crises, the withdrawal of NATO troops from Afghanistan, and the Football World Cup in Qatar have further highlighted the urgency of these topics.

Elias Luef, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration student and Head of EcoPol, emphasises that initiatives like these play a crucial role in increasing students’ understanding of refugee situations and fostering empathy and helpful initiatives.

By bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world issues, business schools prepare future leaders to create safe environments for refugees and facilitate meaningful dialogue and learning between refugees and other students. “Many socially significant problems are either too far away from people’s own environment or not discussed in lectures. Initiatives like this offer external and otherwise overlooked information highly relevant for the future business leaders of our time.” Elias believes that business leaders need to create an environment that is safe for refugees but also one for people to talk and learn from refugees too. It’s all about “offering a community and platform for refugees and international students as these initiatives do,” he says.

Business on the Frontlines

Learning how to better build societies damaged by conflict, prejudice, poverty, and illicit economies is one of the great challenges of the 21st century. And for the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame, doing so with a good heart and a focus on the inherent dignity of other is the best place to start.

The business school’s Meyer Business on the Frontlines Program is rooted in the belief that there is dignity in work and that all people can be empowered to contribute to society. The program utilizes the dynamic skills of business to address issues including post-conflict rehabilitation, poverty, illicit economies, isolation and prejudice. MBA and other graduate students from across the university explore key themes together such as empathy, barriers to work, identity and mindset while partnering with action-oriented organizations to find local solutions that create jobs or set the conditions for economic growth. Through this experience, students embark on a journey of discovery to broaden their world view and envision new possibilities.

In March 2023, the Academic Director of the MBA Programs Joe Sweeney went with two teams of Mendoza’s MBA students to Wroclaw, Poland to work on two projects in partnership with the Lviv Business School at Ukrainian Catholic University. They recently launched a UCU Center in Wroclaw to serve Ukrainian ex-pats and refugees. In a city of roughly 1.5 million, there are now over 200,000 Ukranians with at least half arriving in the past year since the full scale invasion. “Through this project, our MBA students had the opportunity to work with graduate students from LvBS to help the UCU Center think about long term strategy and activities and how to identify and connect with Ukrainains living in and around Wroclaw.”

Another Business on the Frontlines project is a partnership with the Aga Khan Foundation in Kyrgyzstan examining the ecosystem for development in the IT sector and green solutions. “With an influx of hundreds of housands of military aged males from Russians fleeing the draft, Kyrgyzstan had a sudden influx of people and educated talent,” explains Sweeney. “So it was important to explore how to create support systems that could foster economic growth and provide for these new residents.”

Researchers Help Centre Empowering Refugees

The commitment to tackling the refugee crisis extends beyond the time spent at business schools, as many alumni have launched their own businesses, NGOs, and charities dedicated to supporting refugees. Anastasia Koptsyukh, a Ukrainian doctoral researcher at Aalto University School of Business, exemplifies this. With a strong background in tech startups and a deep compassion for those in need, Anastasia co-founded a help centre focused on supporting refugees. And, in collaboration with another Ukrainian, they provided various areas of assistance including information desks, emotional support, a visitors’ cafeteria, and a humanitarian aid section. “Thanks to my business education at Aalto and my entrepreneurial background, I knew how processes should be organised. Now the already-established routines and protocols keep working, and working well,” she underlines.

Business School Graduates Driving Refugee Empowerment

Dr. Alaa Murabit, a high-level commissioner at the United Nations, has dedicated her career to empowering vulnerable populations, including refugees. Through organisations like the Voice of Libyan Women (VLW) and her involvement in the Sustainable Development Goals, she has been instrumental in advancing the rights and well-being of women and children affected by conflict and displacement.

Her time at LSE Ideas studying a master’s in International Strategy and Diplomacy “taught me a robust understanding of strategy, negotiation, and financial management. These skills have been crucial in shaping our advocacy efforts, developing effective partnerships, and ensuring the sustainability and impact of our programs.” Alaa’s work includes providing immediate relief, healthcare, education, and skills training for refugees, as well as advocating for policy changes and fostering partnerships in critical sectors.

“The reality for many refugees and internally displaced people is that they have intersecting vulnerabilities. More often than not, they are women and children, and the lack of access to resources and immediate support in the immediate aftermath of a crisis or conflict means they cannot rebuild in the longer term,” she says.

Languages Equal Opportunity

Aline Sara, the founder of NaTakallam, is another entrepreneur who recognised the challenges faced by refugees and took action. NaTakallam is a social enterprise Aline founded that provides language services, providing lessons in Arabic, French, Persian, English, the list continues. The tutors hired by NaTakallam are refugees, offering language learners a chance to practice conversational skills whilst also providing income-generating opportunities for refugees.

By leveraging their language skills and cultural knowledge, NaTakallam connects refugees with individuals and organisations seeking language services, creating a platform for cultural exchange and understanding. This innovative approach not only addresses the economic challenges faced by refugees but also promotes intercultural dialogue and breaks down barriers between communities.

“Previous to NaTakallam, I was in a completely different sector to business,” Aline reflects. “At INSEAD, the Social Entrepreneurship Programme, which was absolutely transformational and very empowering in my entrepreneurial journey.” She highlights her classes with Professor Jasjit Singh, “who really goes in-depth into very important nuances that must be understood in this almost overly trending field of social impact.”

“The INSEAD program really helped me embrace the fact that combining both business and deep impact is a constant tightrope balance.”

Building Inclusive Workplaces

Zarah Bruhn, founded socialbee to help bridge the gap between refugees and employment opportunities. Recognising the immense potential of refugee talents and the barriers they face in accessing suitable jobs, socialbee directly matches refugees with job openings and provides qualification programs to enhance their employability. By connecting companies with diverse and skilled talent, socialbee creates inclusive and dynamic work environments while simplifying the hiring process for employers. Zarah, who undertook, an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Manheim Business School, highlighted the importance of “the university’s initiative for entrepreneurship. I got to know a lot of impressive entrepreneurs that really inspired me to eventually found my own business. In general, I found the University of Mannheim to be a really stimulating environment.”

Business schools and their remarkable students and alumni are increasingly demonstrating that the learning of the classroom is a starting point for applying ideas, energy and impassioned determination to solve one of the most pressing humanitarian challenges of our time.