By Chloe Beaufoy
In a world that often defines refugees by what they’ve lost, these businesses flip the script. They are proof that resilience, when mixed with a little creativity and the right kind of stub-bornness, can become a thriving enterprise. From kitchens in Lebanese camps to coding hubs in Iraq, these ventures aren’t waiting for permission to shine, they’re already doing it.
So, we’re spotlighting six standouts. Three are led by refugees. Three support displaced communities in remarkable ways. All are powered by women, or built to benefit them. And yes, they are very much magazine-worthy.
- Haven Coffee (London)
This isn’t your average latte stop.
Founded by Usman Khalid, a refugee from Pakistan, Haven Coffee serves more than caffeine. It brews second chances. The café offers barista training to other refugees, while hosting open-mic nights, creative showcases, and art exhibitions. Think of it as a community center disguised as a coffee shop.
People don’t just come here to sip, they come to be
What We Love About It
Every cup tells a story, and in this space, refugees are more than headlines. They’re artists, poets, and baristas with big dreams and sharp pour-over skills.
2. Soufra Kitchen (Beirut)
Soufra didn’t start in a five-star kitchen. It started in a refugee camp.
Mariam Shaar, a Palestinian woman born and raised in Bourj el-Barajneh camp, decided to rewrite the narrative. She launched a catering business inside the camp, hiring other women and reviving traditional Palestinian recipes. The result? A full-fledged food enterprise that now includes a food truck, a cookbook, and a documentary backed by Susan Sarandon.
What We Love About It
Food is home, and in Soufra’s kitchen, every dish is saying that culture survives, even when countries collapse.
3. Re:Coded (Middle East)
Refugee women writing code? Yes, and they’re good at it.
Re:Coded runs coding bootcamps in Iraq, Turkey, Yemen, and Lebanon, offering displaced youth and many of them women, the tools to build tech careers. This isn’t a nonprofit that teaches people to fish. It teaches them to build the app that sells the fish, delivers it, and automates the customer service.
What We Love About It
Refugee talent doesn’t need pity. It needs WiFi, mentorship, and someone to believe it belongs in the tech room.
4. Inkomoko (East Africa)
Inkomoko is a mouthful, but the meaning is simple. It means “origin” in Kinyarwanda. And the work this company does? It’s about starting over.
Operating in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, Inkomoko provides business support to refugee entrepreneurs. They offer loans, mentorship, and practical skills, helping women go from “I just arrived” to “I just hired three people.”
What We Love About It
Economic freedom is the first real step to healing. And when refugee women start earning, they start rebuilding entire communities.
5. Forward·Inc (Netherlands)
Forward·Inc is what happens when startup culture meets refugee grit.
This Dutch-based platform helps refugee entrepreneurs develop real-world businesses through coaching, funding access, and startup weekends. Since 2017, over 100 ventures have been born out of the program, many led by women.
One standout? A Syrian fashion designer who now runs her own ethical fashion line in Rotterdam, using upcycled fabrics and refugee seamstresses. That’s not just business. That’s impact.
What We Love About It
With the right support, refugee women stop surviving and start innovating.
6. FORGE (Zambia and Botswana)
FORGE is the kind of organization that doesn’t just “help.” It listens.
Founded by a college student who spent time volunteering in Zambian refugee camps, FORGE now supports women-led initiatives within refugee communities. From running libraries to launching cooperatives, their model gives the power back to the people actually living the refugee experience.
What We Love About It
Real impact doesn’t happen for displaced women. It happens with them.
What This Means for Us
These six businesses do more than inspire. They disrupt.
They remind us that displaced doesn’t mean erased. That refugee isn’t a permanent identity. That with access, women will create, trade, build, and flourish even in the most uncertain terrain.
So when we talk about this idea of Refugee Renaissance, this is what we mean. Not charity. Not headlines. Not pity. Just women doing what they’ve always done, taking the pieces and building something whole.
Want to Support?
Here’s the beauty of it. You don’t have to hop on a plane or volunteer in a camp to support these businesses.
- Order coffee from Haven online.
- Follow Soufra on social media and share their story.
- Invest time or funds into tech education via Re:Coded.
- Recommend Inkomoko to anyone launching a refugee-led venture.
- Sign up to mentor a woman through Forward·Inc.
- Donate or amplify the work of FORGE in Southern Africa.
Every little act helps fuel the renaissance.
In The End
If there’s one thing refugee women know how to do, it’s make something from nothing. A quilt from scraps. A meal from memory. A business from survival.
And that’s the heartbeat of this edition. Refugee women are not waiting to be saved. They’re already saving what matters, culture, community, and dignity. One business at a time.
