Refugees for Success
A mentorship-based nonprofit connecting displaced students and professionals with the guidance, funding knowledge and employer relationships that turn skills they already have into recognised qualifications and paid work.
What we do
Most people who arrive after fleeing a country already hold a diploma, a trade, a professional licence or years of hands-on experience. What they usually lack is the local knowledge that makes those things count: how a transcript gets evaluated, which scholarships accept international credentials, which exam a profession requires, and who to ask when a form requests a reference they cannot supply. We do that translation work alongside them, at no cost, for as long as the path takes.
The work runs along two connected pathways. On the education side we help people find and apply for scholarships, cover tuition and exam fees where funding allows, and gather the diplomas, transcripts and evaluations that universities and licensing bodies ask for. On the career side we pair people with advisors and mentors for résumé and interview coaching, arrange internships, and introduce them to employer partners who hire on demonstrated skill rather than on a local network.
Education and employment are not separate tracks here. A scholarship is often what makes a licence possible; a working mentor is often what makes a degree worth finishing. One advisor stays with each person across the whole journey, from the first conversation to the first day of class or the first day on the job.
Who it is for
- Students who finished secondary school and want to begin or resume university.
- Professionals whose degrees, licences or trades are not recognised in their new country.
- Parents rebuilding a career while supporting a family, who need evening and remote options.
- People who arrived recently and have no local network to explain how any of this works.
There is no minimum English level and no fee to apply. If you are unsure whether you qualify, ask — that first conversation is part of the service.
Who builds it
Refugees for Success is run by a small team of advisors, educators and mentors — many of whom rebuilt their own careers in a new country and now guide others through the same steps. They are supported by volunteer tutors, professional mentors and employer partners who open internships and first jobs to people without an existing local network.
Zerak Jalali
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Zala Afzal
Co-Founder
Sofyan Farhad
Head of Outreach
