It's really pretty remarkable that some refugees are displaced and arrive in new communities without a home, means of support, left behind families, livelihood or sometimes even without the local language skills. And yet they can still reasonably establish themselves in the new landscape, pick themselves up in the employment market and business communities becoming self-sufficient within a few months.

Many refugee entrepreneurs fail, only to pick themselves back up and try again. Innovation stems from trial and error.They aren't afraid to fail as they left livelihood behind, and journeyed for thousands of miles, risked own life, thus have already proven that they are willing to take risks. In addition, several refugees possess much needed engineering skills which aren't put into practice or utilised efficiently.

Thanks to the advancement in education and technology, there are countless opportunities to help them strengthen their skills or develop scalable businesses that require little capital. It is an exciting field for refugees, many of whom arrived in communities without any capital or jobs. To become entrepreneurs or excel in engineering sector, all they need is know-how, mentoring and networking.

We hope REEDI's initiatives will not only inspire and give an opportunity to talented refugees become responsible for their own incomes, but to also strengthen existing SMEs, local professional communities, inspire and accelerate thought leadership amongst fellows, unlock new innovative ideas and economic opportunities while strengthening their integration.

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