SHElearns: A Digital Learning and Wellness Platform for Urban Refugees

 
 
 

We are thrilled to announce the official launch of SHElearns, a digital learning and wellness platform designed for urban refugees!

In 2020, RefuSHE was forced to adapt to the challenges brought on by the global COVID-19 pandemic by moving to a more digital-friendly service model. The success of virtual learning prompted a broader driving question: Is there a digital solution that can help more urban refugee women learn and improve their quality of life? In partnership with Mastercard Foundation, RefuSHE set out to create a fully digital eLearning and wellness platform for urban refugee women in Nairobi. 

SHElearns was created by refugees for refugees. The eLearning platform helps refugee women develop the entrepreneurial and wellness toolkits they need to invest in their talents and create financial stability for themselves and their families. Through customized skill-building video content and digital tutorials led by refugee entrepreneurs, SHElearns is paving the way for urban refugee business development and wellness. 

“Through SHElearns, my hope is that young refugee women acquire skills they can use to create an income that is sufficient for them and their families.”

Stephanie Kibaara, Digital Education and Innovation Manager, RefuSHE

The curriculum is divided into three categories:   

  • Business Education: Offers solutions to general day-to-day operational business challenges in Kenya and addresses the different stages of entrepreneurship 

  • Vocational Skills: Focuses on in-demand vocational skills that are popular among the refugee ecosystem and lucrative in the Kenyan urban setup with guidance from the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) curriculum  

  • Mental Health: Seeks to empower women mentally by giving them psychosocial education and access to on-call professional counseling services through a toll-free number

The content is made up of a series of mobile-friendly microlearning videos that take between 3-8 minutes to view, while a full series module takes around 1-2 hours to complete. The platform is curated to meet the needs of young refugee mothers and business owners with low to average digital literacy. Financial instability was one of the biggest challenges refugee community members shared with RefuSHE during the initial testing phases. The goal of SHElearns is to provide urban refugee women with the practical skills they can use to upstart their entrepreneurial futures and better their mental health. 

RefuSHE collaborated with several partners in order to create a comprehensive curriculum and ensure that the platform was easy to access and navigate. We would like to give a huge shout-out to Mastercard Foundation, World University Service of Canada (WUSC), Seamont Foundation, and UNFCU Foundation for helping to fund the platform and develop content. We’d also like to thank Team4Tech and their pro-bono team of Cadence volunteers for providing essential technical support and guidance.

We are excited to see the launch of SHElearns and the growth of digital learning (and earning) opportunities for urban refugees in Nairobi and beyond. Thank you to all of our supporters and partners who have helped guide us on this impactful journey! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for SHElearns and our incredible community of urban refugee mothers, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

 
RefuSHE