Nurturing Refugees' Skills for Development


Welcome

  • Established in 2003, Reconnect is a London based Charity that works with unemployed/ underemployed refugees[1].
  • Key beliefs and perspectives that underpin Reconnect’s work:
    • A commitment to diversity, equal opportunities and human dignity.
    • The importance of synergy between supporting unemployed and underemployed refugees through guidance, training mentoring and employment support provisions in the UK and the potential benefits these could have to their countries of origin or developing countries.
    • The challenges refugees face can only be tackled through an enabling process of meaningful partnerships and effective participation of refugees in their communities and institutions, both governmental and non-governmental.



  • Refugees face considerable challenges, but are determined to rebuild their careers/ livelihoods.
  • Refugees need  a structured programme to support their aspirations and efforts.

  • Refugees seek to make a positive contribution to their host community in the UK.
  • Refugees are acutely aware of the needs and often seek ways  to make  a contribution to their countries of origin or developing countries.



  • Refugees have first-hand experience of conditions affecting their communities.
  • Refugees are best-placed to promote understanding and positive images of themselves and their communities.

Reconnect provides one-to-one, assessment, guidance and support to enable unemployed and underemployed refugees to make an informed choice about their careers.

Reconnect works with reputable academic/ training institutions to enable unemployed and underemployed refugees to gain appropriate skills and mainstream qualifications in teaching and journalism.

Reconnect works in partnership with a number of institutions to enable refugees to gain work experience and employment opportunities through:

  • In the UK - mentoring, work placement  and 1-to-1 support.
  • Seeking to transfer skills of teachers with refugee background to South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Reconnect provides skills and a forum for refugees to enable them to engage directly with the media, policy makers and the public.

[1]Note: The term “refugee” is used in its wider developmental context to include those asylum seekers who have been recognised as refugees under the Geneva Convention; have been granted Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave to Remain (formerly known as Exceptional Leave to Remain); have obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain; or have been refugees but who now have full UK citizenship.