Economically Empowering Refugees, We Can Do It!

This month I was given the opportunity once again to support the economic empowerment of refugees, and as usual, I seized it. Businesses are in the best position to foster social good and we business leaders play a relevant role in addressing the global refugee crisis. I share this news with you not gloat, but hope it acts as a catalyst for others to join. Jordan is one of the countries that host the largest number of refugees along with Lebanon, Turkey, and Bangladesh. By taking in refugees, Jordan has experienced a quick increase in population that it is struggling to maintain due to resource constraints. As a business owner, I have already hired 150 refugees and will continue to do so. We recently just extended an employment offer to a trained Head Chef who operated his own restaurant in Syria. Also, through our partnership with Tent Foundation, we have recently committed to sourcing some of our products from suppliers in Jordan that employ or are working towards employing 25% refugees in their factories. Paramount will use the products it sources from Jordan, such as olive oil and tahini, at its restaurant locations throughout Ontario. Paramount hopes that our sourcing commitment in Jordan will create new jobs for refugees and Jordanians. I am just a small drop in this ocean trying to generate change alongside many others. I hope that more and more people from civil society, government, and the private sector will continue to create momentum and synergies to enable refugees in need of international protection to contribute economically and participate more fully in their host societies. 

We can conceive concrete and sustainable guidance on how to improve the livelihoods of refugees and to contribute to better integration outcomes. Just a reminder, there are now more than 65 million forcibly displaced persons in the world, including 22.5 million refugees, with a substantial amount in developing countries. Canada currently has allowed a large number of refugees over the last few years. The Canadian government sets one of the worlds best precedents of integration and settlement of people just like you and me who are in the unfortunate circumstance of fleeing their homes and everything that is dear and familiar to them. Although our government does an excellent job with resettlement services, it is up to us as Canadians and world constituents to help the refugees integrate further.

When refugee communities were asked what makes them feel integrated into any given society, the majority responded that until they have a job or income, they don’t feel fully assimilated. When followed with a question regarding what the most effective way to help achieve this was, many answered that being introduced to different opportunities that can lead them to employment or income would be the most valuable. Employment is also a key component to ensuring successful integration of refugees for governments as well. Countries receiving the refugees face significant challenges to integrating refugees in their economy and society. However, this demographic also represents a substantial opportunity for the host country, given the many skills and professional experiences that they bring. 

However, for this to be fully realized, well-coordinated efforts by a range of actors and entities are required. 

At Paramount Fine Foods we know that these refugees are an asset to our company. When they arrived in Canada in 2016, we had the fantastic opportunity to assist them in becoming an asset to the country's economy, instead of a liability. 

To hire the 150 refugees that are now employed with us, we didn’t have a resource at the time to approach. We had to be innovative and collaborate with local stakeholders like organizations working directly with refugees who also had a similar approach and goals. These organizations were able to work with us to deliver skilled individuals that we were able to further train in our industry by creating a training program, which included occupation-specific language training, food handling, and safety training as well as information on Canadian workplace culture.

Not only have these new employees, fully integrated into our restaurants, but they have also increased the diversity of our establishments. They have enriched the environment of our restaurants. They have brought new ideas and perspectives that enhance our workplace along with their hardworking and committed dispositions. They are so appreciative of the opportunities, and they go above and beyond what is asked of them. I have seen our previous employees enthusiastically welcome these new members of our community and work together to create a comfortable, compassionate and inclusive work environment. From generating innovation, to increasing motivation, with this new diverse workforce of hardworking employees looking for a fresh start, we have seen increases in productivity, growth and staff retention. 

We have observed as the refugees working with us have begun to gain economic independence and improve their quality of life. They have developed better language skills and cultural understanding. 

The experiences some of these refugees have endured are horrendous; many still worry for their family left behind in war zones. It gives me great joy that I can play a small role in assisting them in rebuilding their lives and providing stability to their families once again. Imagine a world where we all took responsibility for each other and lifted each other up to be contributing members of our society.

Not only have we benefited refugees in terms of gaining economic independence and not being reliant on social services, we play a small but vital role in enhancing our country’s economic growth. Their drive to regain their lives motivates the desire to want to acquire new sets of skills in order to attain economic stability for their families which creates excelled prospects for hire. 

We are hopeful that these programs will be able to help more new refugees think about their settlement and integration. We actively call other entrepreneurs and leaders to hire more refugees and qualified newcomers to cultivate these potential assets for our country's economy and simply because it’s the right thing to do. 

I am proud of how far we’ve come, and I have no doubt we will exceed our goal. There is a lot that needs to be done here. The media does not highlight the refugee issue very often, the engagement from civil society has dropped. I would like to bring to your attention that although we have hired 150 refugees, there are millions of displaced individuals who seek a life of work and dignity across the world. Some of us may be interested in exploring how we can engage these refugees across our supply chains.

Although we had to navigate this territory of hiring refugees on our own without internal resources, you don’t have to. There are many non-for-profit organizations today that provide this very service.  And if you are not a business owner, you can still step up and engage in other activities to promote the economic empowerment of refugees.

Please, I request you all whether your an employee or a business leader bring this issue up in your companies and restart the dialogue on this conversation. We have over 22.5 million refugees and the host countries that need our help on an ongoing basis. 

I would like to reiterate what Margaret Mead famously said “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

So strive to be that thoughtful, committed changemaker who mobilizes industries and networks of support for people that need it most.