Billionaire tech investor Yuri Milner created the Breakthrough Foundation in 2012 to support philanthropic causes. For 10 years, the Foundation mainly funded scientific non-profits, such as the Breakthrough Prize and Breakthrough Initiatives. Then, in April 2022, the Foundation committed $100 million to a new initiative: Tech For Refugees.
Tech For Refugees is a non-profit that works with major technology companies and organisations like Airbnb.org and Uber. The organisation leverages its tech partners’ networks and expertise to provide essential services and comfort to displaced people.
Here’s how Tech For Refugees is transforming the landscape of humanitarian aid for refugees through innovative technology.
The Power of Technology to Improve Refugees’ Lives
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that, at the end of 2022, there were 108.4 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Of that total, 35.3 million are refugees seeking asylum in foreign countries. That figure has more than doubled in 10 years (from 15.42 million in 2012).
On top of this, the UNHCR believes that approximately 40% of all forcibly displaced people are children. Women and girls make up slightly more than half of the world’s displaced population.
Technology can help us address the complex global challenge of the refugee crisis. Access to smartphones, a continuous electricity supply, reliable internet, and affordable data plans is of fundamental importance for refugees.
Displaced people often value communication so much that they prioritise it over medicine and clothing. Internet access and mobile devices can help displaced people with everything from contacting loved ones back home to seeking employment.
Beyond basic access to communications and connectivity, technology can make a difference in many other areas. From logistics to shelter and education to entertainment, technology can improve refugees’ quality of life and expedite humanitarian relief programmes.
Tech For Refugees’ Programmes
Milner and his wife Julia launched Tech For Refugees to provide practical assistance for those living outside their homeland. The organisation provides this assistance through its innovative partnerships with technology-centred organisations.
Driven by a collaborative spirit, the non-profit has joined forces with Flexport.org, Spotify, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and other tech partners. Tech For Refugees provides grants and funding to these partners so they can carry out humanitarian operations.
Donations from Tech For Refugees also allow organisations to develop digital platforms and services that support refugees.
These are four of the programmes Tech For Refugees has supported so far.
1. The Airbnb.org, Flexport.org, and Spotify Ukraine Programme
For its inaugural programme, Tech For Refugees partnered with Airbnb.org, Flexport.org, and Spotify. The programme focused on providing aid to Ukrainian refugees. According to the UNHCR, there are more than 6.2 million refugees from Ukraine globally (as of July 2023).
Airbnb.org, an independent non-profit organisation, offered free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 people fleeing Ukraine. The organisation achieved its goal in just six months, drawing on Airbnb’s network of Hosts, technology, and trust and safety infrastructure.
Flexport.org, the impact arm of digital freight forwarder Flexport, delivered over 100 shipments of humanitarian aid worth $50 million to Ukrainian refugees. These shipments included food, medical supplies, and other essential items.
Tech For Refugees has since extended its partnership with Flexport.org. Grants of $8 million and $6 million have enabled the logistics-focused organisation to help more refugees from Ukraine, Pakistan, and the Horn of Africa.
Meanwhile, Spotify offered its Premium subscription service at no cost to Ukrainian refugees. People who undergo separation from their friends, family, home, and country may find the experience profoundly devastating. Entertainment, including music and podcasts, can provide much-needed relief from stress and improve mental health.
2. The IRC Programme: Expanding Signpost to Support More Refugees
In February 2023, Tech For Refugees announced a three-year financial commitment to support the IRC’s humanitarian efforts. In particular, the gift enabled the expansion of the IRC’s Signpost platform in new locations worldwide.
Navigating a complex crisis often requires people to make critical, life-changing decisions. Access to information from a trusted source can make all the difference to individuals and families facing civil war, natural disasters, and other harrowing conditions.
Signpost is a technology-enabled “helpdesk” that offers timely, reliable information and support to displaced people. The community-led information service relies on teams of local liaisons who research and share key information through a range of digital tools and portals. Signpost’s liaisons also offer psychological and legal counsel and person-to-person support on issues like temporary housing.
To date, Signpost has reached 36 million people with information products. Signpost won a Connect award at the 2023 United Nations SDG Action Awards in recognition of the platform’s work empowering refugees.
3. The Welcome.US Ukraine Programme: Welcoming Refugees to the U.S.
Tech For Refugees is one of several supporters of Welcome.US’ first-of-its-kind platform, Welcome Connect. Welcome.US is a national initiative that supports refugees in the United States. On World Refugee Day 2022, Welcome.US launched Welcome Connect to help U.S. citizens connect directly with refugees.
Welcome Connect offers a streamlined, user-friendly process for refugee sponsorship. U.S. citizens can sign up to the platform, complete training on sponsorship, and build a profile. Sponsors and newcomers can mutually decide whether they want to pursue sponsorship together.
Since launching, Welcome Connect has received hundreds of thousands of sponsorship applications, offering a pathway to safety for tens of thousands of Ukrainian families. Tech For Refugees will continue to financially support the Welcome Connect platform as it scales.
Welcome.US is also developing integrations with additional platforms, such as EdApp.
4. The UNICEF USA Ukraine Programme: Supporting Education
Education is another area where technology can make a substantial impact on refugees’ lives. Refugee status can significantly affect a child’s education, with several factors leading to the loss of years of learning and development:
- The chaos of flight.
- The absence of caregivers.
- The challenges of living in refugee camps.
- The struggle to meet basic needs.
Many areas of Ukraine currently face critical educational challenges. The ongoing war has damaged or destroyed more than 3,000 educational institutions since February 2022. On top of this, 20% of the country’s children are internally displaced.
A grant from Tech For Refugees is allowing UNICEF USA (the United Nations Children’s Fund) to bring vital educational aid to Ukrainian children. Announced in June 2023, the partnership will make learning safe and accessible for many more of the country’s young people.
Join Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees Initiative
By augmenting humanitarian aid with technology, Tech For Refugees represents a new approach to supporting one of society’s most vulnerable groups.
Any technology companies or non-profits in a position to contribute substantially to refugee relief efforts might consider joining Tech For Refugees. The non-profit seeks new tech partners to increase the diversity and reach of its global humanitarian operations.
Become a Tech For Refugees partner.
About Yuri Milner
Yuri Milner invests in technology and science, both as an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. His company DST Global is one of the world’s leading technology investment firms. Its portfolio has included some of the most famous internet companies, like Facebook and Twitter.
Milner’s Breakthrough Foundation supports science-focused ventures like the Breakthrough Prize and Breakthrough Initiatives.
The Breakthrough Prize is the world’s biggest prize for science and mathematics. Annually, multiple laureates receive $3 million in recognition of their groundbreaking discoveries.
The Breakthrough Initiatives are a collection of programmes that seek answers to the fundamental questions of life in the Universe. Milner has committed more than $200 million to the Breakthrough Initiatives, which include three active research projects, a $1 million competition, and an annual academic conference.
Milner is a member of Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates’ Giving Pledge. His Giving Pledge letter highlights his passion for investing in scientists and humanity’s shared future.
Milner’s free, short book Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation also explores the idea of humanity’s shared future and our place in the Universe.
