2018About 50 women in refugee situations gathered on Friday (9) at Estação Hack, Facebook's innovation center in São Paulo, for the last workshop of the 2018 edition of Empoderando Refugiadas (Empowering Refugees), a project run by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Global Compact Brazil Network and UN Women. The initiative promotes the inclusion of refugees in the Brazilian labor market. The theme of the meeting was entrepreneurship and the tools offered by social media.
Around 50 women in refugee situations gathered on Friday (9) at Estação Hack, Facebook's innovation center in São Paulo, for the last workshop of the 2018 edition of Empoderando Refugiadas (Empowering Refugees), a project run by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the Global Compact Brazil Network and UN Women. The initiative promotes the inclusion of refugees in the Brazilian labor market. The theme of the meeting was entrepreneurship and the tools offered by social media.
As discussed in previous meetings, entrepreneurship is a viable option for women looking to enter the job market and, in this context, social networks are important tools.
Through a Facebook page, Hazan, a Syrian refugee who took part in previous editions of the project, managed to establish herself professionally in the country. The entrepreneur now runs a buffet service specializing in Arabic food, which she promotes on her Facebook page, Hazan Arabic Food, which already has more than 9,000 followers.
"When I learned about social media in Brazil, I felt it would change my life. At first, it was very difficult because of the language, but thanks to social media, my business became very well known," said Hazan.
The great advantage of entrepreneurship, according to experts, is the possibility of establishing yourself professionally from a hobby or passion, without the need for previous professional experience.
"The first step to entrepreneurship is to recognize your differential, your abilities. It's asking yourself what you do best. Also, be aware of the needs of the market. In your own neighbourhood, in the community, you can recognize opportunities," said Cláudia Mamede, a representative of Rede Mulher Empreendedora, a platform that supports female entrepreneurship in Brazil.
Heloisa Harumi, also representing the Rede Mulher Empreendedora, stressed that "entrepreneurship doesn't have its own recipe, you have to adapt to your reality, to the reality of your place". "Today, tools like social networks make this process of publicizing and managing your business much easier."
The women from the project were able not only to hear about the topic, but also to use the digital tools in practice during the workshop. Representatives from Facebook gave them tips and instructions on how to publicize their business on Facebook and Instagram, two social networks that are widely used in the world of entrepreneurship.
As well as individual skills, each woman's culture and background are also indispensable when starting a project, especially on social media. "People like to hear stories and it's the same on social media. Through them, you can tell a little about your origin, your culture and, of course, your business," said Diogo Andrade, a specialist from Algar Tech, who represented Facebook at the workshop.
Vanessa, a Venezuelan participant in the current edition of Empoderando Refugiadas, said that she already has a Facebook page where she advertises her organic juice business. According to her, "this project started in Brazil". "I started selling through social networks and I intend to expand the business even further."
Empowering Refugees
In its third edition, Empowering Refugees is helping around 50 women in refugee situations. Together with private sector organizations, the project trains and promotes networking meetings with the aim of getting the participants into the job market. Empoderando Refugiadas has Facebook as a partner and has the support of ABN AMRO, Carrefour, Lojas Renner, Pfizer and Sodexo.
In addition, there are strategic partnerships with Consulado da Mulher, Fox Time, Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, Migraflix and Programa de Apoio para a Recolocação dos Refugiados (PARR).
English
Portuguese 
Italian 
Spanish