ReSEE

Refugee Social Enterprise Ethiopia Building Pathways from Inclusion to Self-Reliance

About ReSEE

ReSEE (Refugee Social Enterprise Ethiopia) is a refugee entrepreneurship and economic inclusion platform founded by Shama Institute for Cultural Exchange and Social Enterprise Ethiopia (SEE) to transform Ethiopia's refugee inclusion and self-reliance commitments into practical opportunities on the ground.

As Ethiopia advances policies that promote refugee inclusion, entrepreneurship, and economic participation, ReSEE works to ensure that these opportunities become accessible, understandable, and actionable for refugee communities.

ReSEE serves as a bridge between policy, entrepreneurship ecosystems, institutions, markets, and refugee communities, creating pathways that enable refugees to participate as entrepreneurs, innovators, job creators, social enterprise leaders, and contributors to local economic development.

By combining refugee leadership, entrepreneurship expertise, institutional partnerships, and community-rooted implementation, ReSEE helps transform policy commitments into sustainable livelihoods, enterprise creation, employment opportunities, and economic participation.

ReSEE believes that self-reliance is not achieved through policy alone. It is achieved when people have access to the knowledge, skills, networks, mentorship, and opportunities needed to turn potential into action and opportunity into sustainable outcomes.

Vision

A future where refugees are recognized as entrepreneurs, innovators, employers, social enterprise leaders, and active contributors to inclusive economic growth and community development.

Mission

To advance refugee self-reliance by creating practical pathways to entrepreneurship, employment, social enterprise development, leadership, and economic inclusion through strategic partnerships, capacity building, and ecosystem development.

Why ReSEE?

Ethiopia's refugee inclusion agenda has created important opportunities for economic participation and self-reliance. However, many refugees continue to face barriers in accessing entrepreneurship ecosystems, business development services, employment pathways, market networks, and practical support systems.

ReSEE was established to bridge this gap.

Through entrepreneurship development, startup support, social enterprise promotion, training, mentorship, and ecosystem building, ReSEE helps ensure that policy commitments translate into tangible opportunities and measurable outcomes for refugee communities.

Our Strategic Focus Areas

Entrepreneurship Development

Supporting refugees to identify opportunities, develop business ideas, and establish sustainable enterprises.

Startup Support Providing pathways for business ideation, validation, readiness, incubation, and growth.

Employment and Employability Strengthening workforce readiness, professional skills, and pathways to decent work.

Social Enterprise Development Promoting enterprises that generate both social and economic value for refugee and host communities.

Training of Trainers (ToT) Building a network of multilingual refugee facilitators and community trainers capable of delivering entrepreneurship programs.

Entrepreneurial Mindset Development Supporting confidence, leadership, initiative, problem-solving, innovation, and self-reliance

Youth and Women's Economic Empowerment Expanding opportunities for refugee youth and women to participate in entrepreneurship, employment, and leadership

Market Access and Ecosystem Building Connecting entrepreneurs with institutions, mentors, networks, investors, markets, and strategic opportunities.

The ReSEE Model

ReSEE operates through a structured pathway designed to move participants from potential to economic participation.

1. Outreach and Identification Engaging refugee communities and identifying individuals with entrepreneurial potential, leadership qualities, and commitment to self-reliance.

2. Mindset Shift and Entrepreneurial Readiness Supporting participants to develop entrepreneurial thinking, confidence, resilience, leadership, and opportunity recognition.

3. Capacity Building Delivering entrepreneurship and business development training adapted to refugee realities, literacy levels, and local market conditions.

4. Training of Trainers (ToT) Developing refugee facilitators capable of delivering high-quality entrepreneurship programs in multiple languages and community contexts.

5. Enterprise and Employment Pathways Supporting participants to explore entrepreneurship, startup development, employment opportunities, and income-generating activities.

6. Ecosystem Linkages and Follow-Up Connecting entrepreneurs to markets, mentors, institutions, and future opportunities while monitoring progress and impact.

Founding Organizations

Shama Institute for Cultural Exchange

A pioneering refugee-founded institution and the first refugee-owned Private Limited Company (PLC) in Ethiopia. Shama provides leadership in refugee engagement, cultural exchange, community mobilization, and program implementation.

Social Enterprise Ethiopia (SEE)

A leading ecosystem builder advancing social entrepreneurship and impact-driven enterprises across Ethiopia. SEE contributes technical expertise, entrepreneurship development knowledge, innovation support, and ecosystem-building experience. Together, Shama and SEE established ReSEE as a platform for advancing refugee entrepreneurship, social enterprise development, and economic inclusion.

Strategic Partners

Refugee Exchange Nexus (REN)

A refugee youth-led initiative that connects refugee youth across Ethiopia through information sharing, opportunity exchange, collaboration, and advocacy. REN strengthens ReSEE's outreach, youth participation, and engagement with refugee communities in both urban areas and refugee camps.

Satellite Rotary Club of Selam

A strategic partner supporting mentorship, networking, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, and international outreach opportunities.

Project partners

Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI)

Ethiopia's leading institution for entrepreneurship development, enterprise growth, innovation, and entrepreneurial capacity building.

Through a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), EDI and ReSEE collaborate to co-design and implement refugee entrepreneurship pathways, including multilingual Training of Trainers (ToT), entrepreneurial mindset development, refugee-sensitive curriculum adaptation, participant screening, startup readiness programs, and future market-entry support.

This partnership strengthens the integration of refugees into Ethiopia's broader entrepreneurship ecosystem while ensuring quality, relevance, and institutional alignment.

Our Core Principles

All ReSEE initiatives are guided by: • Inclusion and Accessibility • Refugee Leadership and Participation • Dignity and Respect • Gender Equality • Youth Empowerment • Community-Centered Learning • Entrepreneurship for Self-Reliance • Innovation and Creativity • Accountability and Transparency • Collaboration with Host Communities and Institutions • Responsible Data Protection and Confidentiality • Trauma-Aware and Human-Centered Engagement

Safeguarding and Wellbeing

ReSEE recognizes that meaningful economic inclusion requires more than business skills alone.

The platform promotes safe, inclusive, and supportive environments that prioritize participant wellbeing, ethical engagement, confidentiality, informed consent, and protection from discrimination, exploitation, and harassment.

Where appropriate, ReSEE facilitates referrals to psychosocial, protection, and community support services through trusted partners and referral pathways.

Our Long-Term Ambition

ReSEE envisions a future where refugee entrepreneurship becomes an integral part of Ethiopia's economic development ecosystem.

By strengthening entrepreneurial capacity, expanding opportunities, and building partnerships across sectors, ReSEE aims to contribute to a more inclusive economy where refugees and host communities can learn, innovate, work, and prosper together.

Our Guiding Belief

Refugees do not lack potential. They need access to opportunity. ReSEE exists to transform opportunity into action, action into livelihoods, and livelihoods into lasting self-reliance.

From Inclusion to Self-Reliance.