Help us raise funds to provide an educational course for Sudanese and Eritrean refugees in Israel!
Microfinance Business Course and Loans for African asylum seekers in Israel.
Microfy is raising funds for an educational course for African asylum seekers in Israel beginning June, 2014. Your generous donations will go towards running a training seminar for 20-25 asylum seekers that will focus on developing entrepreneurial,
business and financial management skills to improve the viability and sustainability of refugee businesses. After the course, consultancy services and small loans are available to participants to get their business off the ground.
WHO WE ARE HELPING
Asylum seekers in Israel come predominantly from Sudan and Eritrea, having fled from genocide and brutal military dictatorship respectively. Most had to give up all their possessions in their flight, and risked being captured
or shot on their journey to find safety and freedom in Israel. Despite their desperate plight, no social services are provided by the Israeli government to asylum seekers, so all are dependent on finding employment in an economy that is largely closed to their
participation rendering them extremely vulnerable to labor abuse, homelessness and despair.
Restaurant in Tel Aviv started by a refugee from Sudan and supported by Microfy
ABOUT MICROFY
For over four years, Microfy has been helping African refugees in South Tel Aviv to achieve economic independence by providing business training and small loans to facilitate the creation of small businesses in their impoverished communities.
Our work in this area has been very successful, with over 150 asylum seekers receiving business training and consultancy, and at least 30 businesses opened providing a stable income and an increased wellbeing. Microfy is the only organization
in Israel today dedicated to helping refugees become economically independent and sustain their own success.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERSHIP AS A SELF-EMPOWERMENT TOOL
For refugees, opening a small business is more than just earning a living. It is a powerful symbol of their hope for a better future.
Employment opportunities for asylum seekers are very limited and those that are available are often demeaning and even violate their basic rights. Asylum seekers commonly report not being paid on time, not being paid for all working hours
and being threatened with termination if they do not work extra hours. Most worrying for asylum seekers is the constant threat of being fired without warning and having to find new employment in a market that is largely closed to them
Owning a business is a powerful tool that not only provides a financial livelihood, it is a source of dignity, stability and the hope of improving their lot. For many refugees, the ability to exert a measure of control over
their own lives is the primary motivating factor in deciding to open a business.
Corner store started by one of our graduates, a refugee from Eritrea
A VIRTUOUS CYCLE
Empowering the refugee population to sustain their own business provides an important service to both the Israeli public and the refugee community. As well as contributing financially to the state and their own welfare, refugee-owned business
are an important source of employment for other asylum seekers and refugees.
OUR APPROACH
Currently, many refugee businesses are not profitable, resulting in high rates of closure and financial distress.
Microfy’s aim is to help these brave entrepreneurs avert the pitfalls of small business ownership by providing business training, consulting, microloans and support services to achieve higher rates of business success.
Microfy empowers the refugee community by cultivating their latent entrepreneurial spirit, providing them with otherwise unavailable financial services, and educating them to navigate the legal, administrative and managerial challenges
of small business ownership.
Our support extends beyond financial and economic benefits and serves to restore dignity, hope, and self-determination for these marginalized individuals. There is no other organization in Israel today that deals specifically with the
issue of refugee-owned businesses.
In a country with such a personal history with persecution and opression, asylum seekers should find opportunities to improve their lives and find some personal dignity. Microfy addresses this by helping refugees create community businesses
which expand the local economy and provide jobs for other asylum seekers in Israel. Through our business course we hope to strengthen existing businesses and making them more efficient so that they may increase their profit margin, thus expanding their business,
and hiring more employees.
