Marilyne Scheepers

As a a Datadock-certified training provider, Konexio’s goal is to create career opportunities by training the most vulnerable people in digital skills – from the most basic to the most advanced – in order to facilitate their socio-professional inclusion. From refugees, to unemployed youth, to women in the workforce, we aim to foster a world where everyone is included in the digitalisation of society. Since its creation in 2016, Konexio has launched more than 70 classes, trained more than 800 learners and given more than 60,000 hours of courses that have led to a 72% positive exit rate of employment, entrepreneurship or a return to schooling within the 6 months following the end of their training. Konexio is also growing its programs in countries of first asylum, where refugee need is greatest and local economies struggle with high unemployment rates for both refugees and local youth. Introducing paths to sustainable employment through digital skills training has the impact to drastically uplift whole communities out of extreme poverty, defined by the UN as living on less than $1.90 a day. Moreover, Konexio equips people with the job-ready skills that restore dignity and individual agency to displaced people. Currently, Konexio is piloting an innovative digital skills training program in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi that focuses on online freelancing as a pathway to financial independence, in partnership with UNHCR and Jesuit Refugee Services. We have trained over a hundred students through the Dzaleka pilot, and are targeting Kenya, Cameroon, and Jordan as potential expansion locations.