Ideas worth spreading

Refugees want empowerment, not handouts

977,260 views |

Robert Hakiza |

TEDGlobal 2017

• August 2017

The prevailing image of where refugees live is of temporary camps in isolated areas -- but in reality, nearly 60 percent of them worldwide end up in urban areas. TED Fellow Robert Hakiza takes us inside the lives of urban refugees -- and shows us how organizations like the one that he started can provide them with the skills they need to ultimately become self-sufficient.

The prevailing image of where refugees live is of temporary camps in isolated areas -- but in reality, nearly 60 percent of them worldwide end up in urban areas. TED Fellow Robert Hakiza takes us inside the lives of urban refugees -- and shows us how organizations like the one that he started can provide them with the skills they need to ultimately become self-sufficient.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Robert Hakiza

Urban refugee expert

See speaker profile

TED Fellow Robert Hakiza is the co-founder of the Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID), which empowers refugees and builds community through vocational education, English classes, access to sports and computer literacy skills.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.