At Kimiyaa we organize matchings between refugees and local professional mentors in order to contribute to the integration of refugees in their countries of adoption. We are a community of mentees, mentors and sponsors who work together towards social inclusion.

Employment is the single biggest obstacle to refugee integration and in helping asylum seekers rebuild their lives. The UK's challenging immigration system barely provides the most basic of support. Refugees face a job market without contacts or UK experience and a host of further significant barriers. It can take years for refugees to access the local employment ecosystem.

In times of Covid, refugees are even more isolated and alienated and we are aiming to build bridges by partnering refugees with local UK professionals who can guide them out of segregation and help prepare them to learn or improve an existing professional skill and lift them to reach the job market. We have mentored in an array of areas from computer coding, web design, maths and accounting to music, language and gardening.

The upcoming UK program will continue to grow the network of knowledge exchange and empowerment to better the lives of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

How Does a Kimiyaa Mentorship Work?

- We work closely with UK councils and refugee organizations who introduce us to refugee candidates (mentees)

- Selected mentees are then matched with UK-based professionals (mentors) in their area of interest. We seek mentors from an array of professions such as digital marketing, architecture, finance, accounting, IT, graphic design, coding, language, etc.

- Our team facilitates the mentorship relationships and oversees the process to completion

- Due to Covid, at the moment, all meetings take place online (as opposed to physical 'real' meetings in regular times)

- We help provide computers to mentees

- The program duration is 8 weeks long, with meetings of 2 hours per week. A total mentorship program of 16 hours.

- All mentors build a 16-hour curriculum with 3 main goals to achieve

- All mentees complete the program with a LinkedIn profile

- At the end of the mentorship, Kimiyaa mentors will help identify and introduce internships and job opportunities for their mentees

Our Appreciation

The impact of each mentorship and Kimiyaa's continued support for our candidate beyond mentoring is immeasurable.

We are incredibly grateful to all our supporters.