AWARD YEAR
2019
CATEGORY
Work
GOALS
Refugees and Migrants
KEYWORDS
language learning, refugees & immigrants
COUNTRY
Lebanon
DESIGNED BY
Aline Sara, Co-Founder & CEO
WEBSITE
https://natakallam.com/
NaTakallam
NaTakallam aims to provide a way for refugees to be paid for their skills.
NaTakallam is a platform that connects displaced persons/refugees with language learners worldwide for online language practice. This initiative connects displaced refugees with those learning Arabic around the world. By connecting displaced Arabic speakers with online Arabic learners, displaced individuals are able to generate income while providing others with education.
The organisation has served to break misconceptions about the nature of the refugee struggle. NaTakallam’s conversation partners are highly educated and seek to empower themselves through their skills. Middle class Syrians are often not the recipients of humanitarian aid and so the project serves to connect them to the outside world and provide them with a means of income. NaTakallam has paired almost 100 displaced persons and over 2500 individuals in more than 65 countries who have engaged in more than 20,000 hours of NaTakallam sessions. Displaced people have self-generated over $360,000 through their work.