Who We Are
We're a global network of Refugee Leaders and Refugee-Led Organisations (RLOs) joining forces to shift power and resources to further the rights of people of forced displacement.
Our members, deeply rooted in refugee communities, actively champion refugee rights, self-reliance, and inclusion. United, we address the barriers and challenges we face in order to advocate and strive for the betterment of our displaced communities.
We were founded in 2021 to give a voice and collective platform for Refugee Leaders worldwide
44
Languages Spoken
34
Host Countries
179
RLOs Represented
277
Refugee Leaders Active
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Wesal Alloush, The War Made me Stronger Initiative
[Through Taking the Lead] we'll have a platform to share advocacy for war survivors, expanding our reach from our small community to the broader world. This is an opportunity to be an influential leader, to convey ideas and beliefs, and to press society to support the cause.
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Our journey
Who
Our network was initiated as a collaboration between a small number of refugee leaders and key partners like Open Society Foundations, Data4Change, and Mobilisation Lab Collective. Initially focused on the UNHCR High Level Official Meeting (HLOM) in December 2021, the network has since evolved and expanded in size, with new members being added regularly.
When
Formed after the UNHCR HLOM in 2021, the network has since grown exponentially. During 2022, we held regular workshops and collected data to define four key goals. Now, in 2023, we're focused on honing our capabilities in areas like advocacy, data collection, communication, and fundraising. Preparations are underway for the Global Refugee Forum in December 2023 where we will present our goals.
Where
The network operates in over 30 host countries spanning every continent, representing a vast refugee community. Despite travel restrictions that limit in-person meetings for many of us, we maintain robust collaborations through platforms like WhatsApp, email, video calls, and our dedicated website.
Why
Our network's strength comes from our collective efforts. By aligning our advocacy initiatives, we increase our outreach and effectiveness. We are a global conduit for capacity-building and peer-to-peer learning, specifically highlighting the vital role that Refugee Led Organisations play in the humanitarian field. We're distinct in our commitment to member-driven initiatives, participatory workshops, and maximised participation.
Our values
Empowerment
Championing refugee leaders as decision-makers and key influencers.
Advocacy
Amplifying refugee voices to reshape narratives and influence policy making.
Localisation
Rooting ourselves deep within refugee communities, our initiatives are locally led and informed by those we serve
Inclusivity
Embracing diverse voices, we ensure everyone, including the displaced and those with disabilities, is heard and valued.
Collaboration
Forging global partnerships and sharing our knowledge to enhance our collective impact.
Accessibility
Breaking down physical, cultural and technical barriers to provide access to resources and support.
Mobilisation Lab Collective
Mobilisation Lab Collective contributes its global team and expertise in participatory campaigning to our network. MobLab has been facilitating co-design workshops and delivering training to enhance our network's goal-oriented strategies.
Supported by
Funded by
Data4Change
Data4Change is a nonprofit that defends human rights with data. They work in the intersection of data, design, tech and journalism. They are supporting our network to conduct data driven advocacy through capacity building, research and project realisation.
Open Society Foundations
The Open Society Foundations are a private funder of independent groups working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights. They approach their mission through the illuminating principles of justice, equity, and expression—defining characteristics of any truly open society.
Our support
In early 2023, MobLab Collective convened 66 RLO leaders in our network to collaboratively address funding system flaws and plan for change through a participant-led approach.
Future outcomes include: facilitating direct connections between RLOs and funders; ensuring equitable partnerships with NGOs; and creating impactful evaluation metrics for both RLOs and networks.In April 2023, Data4Change kicked off their data confidence training for the network.
54 Refugee Leaders did a data personality quiz to gauge their data knowledge and areas of interest, chatted with a bot called Dot who inspired us to do awesome things with data, and attended a live workshop series called ‘Finding stories in scatterplots’ where we learned to analyse and visualise data for our advocacy work.
In July 2023, 134 Refugee Leaders enrolled in Data4Change's ‘Data Basics’ training programme.
This fun, mobile-friendly and self-paced online training course gave us the fundamental skills in data collection, cleaning, analysis and communication.
In August 2023, 116 Refugee Leaders signed up to a 9-week programme focusing on fundraising and resource mobilisation. It was organised by MobLab Collective and led by Fundraising Training, and was conducted asynchronously via WhatsApp to accommodate those of us with limited internet access.
Topics include community mobilisation, persuasion, storytelling, and how to find relevant funding sources. The programme features videos, tasks, and online discussions.