Who We Are
Our Story
Where most refugee community centres in Malaysia focus on refugees from a certain community group, the Refugee Network Center is unique in its form as it welcomes refugees from all different sorts of backgrounds and cultures. The Refugee Network Center was established on 7 March 2019. Run by refugees for refugees, all from different cultural and professional backgrounds. We are teachers, social workers, interpreters, students, artists and more. What unites us is the same interest in our mission: supporting refugees to be capable actors in a diverse and connected world.
It was our goal to create a platform where skills are shared, where networks are strengthened and new entrepreneurial opportunities arise. The Refugee Network Center started with English and Bahasa Malay classes and various livelihood workshops. An example is the recycled bag project, where participants were taught during multiple workshops how to upcycle plastic banners into sustainable bags. This project was funded through a grand received from the UNHCR Malaysia in 2019 and has been expanding over the last year. To make these livelihood skills lucrative and valuable the Refugee Network Center has taken up the role of a networking platform where it links refugees to local bazaars for selling their produce. Through these bazaars and other connections via the Refugee Network Center they start making an income.
We are carried by our volunteers
Most of the Refugee Network Center Malaysia’s team are volunteers. We have one paid position, which is our center manager, who is someone with a refugee background themselves.
The executive team consists of international volunteers, who silently organize the projects of the center through virtual teamwork. Since we opened our doors in 2019, we have been able to assemble an amazing team of local volunteers to teach our classes and run the bazars. We are constantly looking for new volunteers, who can commit to teaching refugees on a regular basis. If this sounds like you, click below to find out more.
