Empowering Refugees: SAFE Initiative & Ocalenie Foundation Success Stories

World Refugee Day, held each year on June 20, serves as a poignant reminder of the strength and bravery exhibited by millions forced to leave their homes due to conflict, persecution, or natural disasters. This global observance encourages reflection on the challenges refugees face and reinforces our dedication to creating a more inclusive and compassionate world. A recent United Nations report reveals that forced displacement increased to 120 million in May 2024, up from 114 million in 2023, marking the 12th consecutive annual rise due to ongoing and emerging conflicts.
 
World Refugee Day 2024 underscores the importance of supporting refugees to foster a more welcoming global community. This blog highlights two key partnerships of Cisco, supported by early-stage investment from the Cisco Foundation, which have enabled partners to design, validate, replicate, and scale tech-driven solutions that significantly aid refugees, migrants, and internally displaced persons.
 
International Rescue Committee (Signpost and SAFE)
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Cisco have established a strategic partnership to assist those displaced by conflict and disaster in surviving, recovering, and rebuilding their lives. Through Cisco’s Global Impact Grant program, IRC is creating technology-based innovations to enhance access to crucial information and provide refugees with pathways to long-term resilience and economic security. Together, IRC and Cisco aim to create sustainable, scalable impacts for some of the world’s most vulnerable populations. This World Refugee Day, we highlight two of IRC’s initiatives: Signpost and Supporting Access to Financial Empowerment (SAFE), which exemplify the significant work being done to support refugees globally.
 
Signpost
"Technology can connect and provide lifesaving information. Enabled by IRC’s partnership with Cisco, Signpost digital help centers allow people affected by conflict, disasters, poverty, and violence to access essential services, solve complex problems, and make informed decisions on the issues that matter most to them. As we scale the Signpost program and leverage technology for good, we are grateful for Cisco’s continued partnership." —Andre Heller, Signpost Program Director
 
Accurate, reliable, and relevant information is crucial during crises. However, humanitarian crisis communications often focus on the providers, are short-lived, and lack scalability, limiting people's ability to make informed decisions. Signpost is a scalable, community-led service that delivers lifesaving information and links to resources through staff equipped with secure digital tools, digital channels, and social media. It provides refugees with timely, actionable, verified information on the platforms they already use, in their preferred languages, empowering them to make critical decisions.
 
Cisco has supported Signpost since its launch in 2015 as a joint effort between IRC and Mercy Corps. Initially, there were 65 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. With the rising number and severity of crises, IRC’s work is more crucial than ever, and Cisco has continued to support the expansion of Signpost.
 
By the numbers:

 
SAFE
"Through SAFE, I was connected with a financial coach who helped me navigate the process of securing a car loan and provided support and advice as I launched my own business in the residential property design and build industry. Thanks to the support of the IRC program and my dedicated financial coach, I now see a clearer path to financial stability and business ownership. I continue to use the IRC program to offer support and guidance to other Afghan refugees in my community, helping them overcome the challenges of starting anew in a foreign land," said Nazila, SAFE Client
 
In 2023, the US State Department’s refugee program resettled 60,000 refugees in the U.S. Additionally, 300,000 to 500,000 humanitarian arrivals came to the U.S. in 2023, most of whom speak Spanish.
 
Many financial resources in the U.S. are predominantly in English and often assume familiarity with the U.S. financial systems, such as opening a bank account, applying for a car loan, filing taxes, and building credit. These resources do not adequately address the barriers immigrant communities face in accessing financial services.
 
Launched in 2022, the Supporting Access to Financial Empowerment (SAFE) initiative by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), a nationally recognized Community Development Financial Institution, aims to help newly arrived families achieve financial stability and security in the U.S. The program includes an online platform and financial coaches tailored to the needs of refugees, asylees, and vulnerable immigrants. With early success, Cisco has enabled SAFE to expand its services beyond Afghan populations to include Spanish-speaking clients and Ukrainian refugees. This partnership has enhanced the IRC's ability to provide quality financial capability services and has shown a strong commitment to ongoing research and learning in this field.
 
Through Cisco's support, SAFE has helped over 2,000 refugees, asylees, and vulnerable immigrants in less than two years, demonstrating the program's effectiveness and potential for broader implementation.
 
By the numbers: