Entrepreneurship + Digital Livelihoods + Creative Arts
Socio-economic Empowerment of Women Refugees in Kenya
About the Project
This project will seek to address three challenges – women’s access to livelihoods and entrepreneurship opportunities, opportunities to commercialize artistic talents, and overcoming obstacles posed by Covid-19. It will do so by integrating digital entrepreneurship components in skills development courses and utilize online marketplaces to showcase talents in creative arts. A group of female entrepreneurs will establish online businesses using digital tools, strategies, and practices and create peer-to-peer business relationships with female artisans and entrepreneurs in their communities. This project will advance gender equality by providing women with the ability to be self-sufficient, independent of geographic restrictions. It will increase the number of women entrepreneurs from the refugee community and allow the refugee community to monetize their artistic talent through online business practices.
Our implementation partner for this project is CAP Youth Empowerment Institute (CAPYEI); a nongovernment organization created in 2011 that is committed to training out-of-school youth in life skills, and in relevant labour market and entrepreneurial skills in hospitality, hairdressing, automobile repair and maintenance, construction, textiles, IT services and more.
Project Work & Phases

Project Phases:
- Digital Curriculum (Jan 10 – Feb 25 2022)
- Training of the Trainers (Feb 28 – March 11, 2022)
- Mentorship (Summer – more info coming soon)
Project Support
- The International Development Institute (IDI), Humber College
- The Centre for Entrepreneurship (Experience Ventures funding), Humber College
- Faculty of Business, Humber College
- Rossie Kadiyska, Program Coordinator, Fashion Management Postgrad
- Mango Digital: Thomas Durham, Founder and CEO of Mango Digital and a graduate of the Digital Business Management BComm program is supporting our student team as an external consultant.
Our Team
Meet our multidisciplinary team of Humber students from The Faculty of Business, The Faculty of Media and Creative Arts, and The Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Innovative Learning
Ejin Zandi | Digital Business Management BComm | |
Alexa Shtun | Digital Business Management BComm | |
Tabassum Hawlader | Digital Business Management BComm | |
Azi Jamali-Afousi | Digital Business Management BComm | |
Mahak Jyot | Digital Business Management BComm | |
Aleeshia Carman | Professional Writing & Communications | |
Caroline Poon | Professional Writing & Communications | |
Aliya Tonon | Bachelor of Creative Advertising | |
Monica Miranda | Fashion Arts and Business | |
Erika Misi | Fashion Arts and Business |