In a world where over 108.4 million people face forced displacement, including 35.3 million refugees and 62.5 million internally displaced individuals, innovative solutions are desperately needed. With approximately 41% of all refugees under 18 years old, the crisis demands not just immediate aid but sustainable, scalable solutions. Tech For Refugees, founded by Julia and Yuri Milner in 2022, is transforming humanitarian aid by harnessing technology to address this global crisis. This initiative, born from their commitment to the Giving Pledge, demonstrates how technological innovation can create meaningful change in the lives of displaced people worldwide.
A New Approach to Humanitarian Aid
Tech For Refugees operates on a simple yet powerful premise: technology can revolutionize how we deliver humanitarian assistance. Rather than creating services directly, the non-profit funds leading technology organizations and companies to apply their expertise, services, and networks to advance refugee relief efforts. This model has proven remarkably effective, with partnerships spanning education, information access, logistics, and direct support services.
Educational Innovation: The aprendIA Platform
One of Tech For Refugees' most significant recent initiatives is its support for the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) aprendIA platform. This AI-powered chatbot system delivers personalized learning experiences to children in crisis-affected communities, addressing a critical global need. As of 2023, crises impact approximately 224 million preschool- and school-aged children globally, with refugee children five times less likely to attend school than their peers.
The platform's innovative approach uses common messaging platforms like WhatsApp and SMS to deliver educational content in various formats—text, video, audio, PDFs, and gamified assets. This accessibility-first design eliminates the need for expensive hardware or software, making it scalable across different humanitarian contexts.
The IRC designed aprendIA with the expertise of its innovation team, Airbel Impact Lab, which conducts one-third of the humanitarian sector's impact evaluations despite accounting for just 3% of its budget. Pilot programs in Bangladesh, Colombia, and Nigeria have already shown promising results, with one location launching a virtual tool in less than four weeks. In Colombia, the program's AudioClass System has significantly accelerated student progress.
OpenAI has recognized the platform's potential, awarding $250,000 and offering ChatGPT integration to help reach at least 10,000 teachers and caregivers, indirectly benefiting 500,000 students. IRC President and CEO David Miliband emphasized the importance of this support, noting how it will help expand aprendIA to assist parents, students, and teachers in crisis zones worldwide.
Information Access: The Award-Winning Signpost Initiative
Another cornerstone of Tech For Refugees' impact is its support for the IRC's Signpost platform, which recently won the first-ever European Prize for Humanitarian Innovation and a United Nations award. This digital platform provides critical, potentially life-saving information to millions of displaced people, covering everything from program eligibility and administrative processes to legal advice, employment, and housing.
Tech For Refugees has committed to a three-year expansion of Signpost across Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. The platform has already exceeded expectations, operating in more than 20 countries, including Ukraine, Italy, Kenya, and Mexico, and continuing to grow.
Connecting Communities: Welcome Connect
One of Tech For Refugees' most successful partnerships is with Welcome.US, supporting the Welcome Connect platform. This innovative system matches refugees with U.S. citizens willing to sponsor them, streamlining what can be an overwhelming process for both parties. The platform's development received support from an impressive coalition, including Goldman Sachs, Infosys, and ServiceNow, with ServiceNow hosting the platform on its Now Platform at no cost.
Since 2022, Welcome Connect has helped welcome more than 500,000 newcomers and leveraged over $7 billion in resources and time from communities across all 50 U.S. states. The platform has garnered support from notable figures, including four former presidents and four former first ladies, such as Michelle and Barack Obama.
Welcome.US CEO Nazanin Ash highlighted the transformative nature of the partnership, noting its "generational impact" on both refugee newcomers and those serving as their bridge to safety. Originally focused on Ukrainian refugees through the Uniting for Ukraine program, Welcome Connect has expanded to support individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
Logistics Innovation: Flexport.org Partnership
Tech For Refugees' partnership with Flexport.org demonstrates the initiative's commitment to practical solutions. Their technology-based logistics network has facilitated 448 shipments supporting over 7 million people across 20 countries, delivering essential supplies including food, clothing, and medical materials to those in need.
Flexport.org's Head Kristen Czapar Dohnts emphasized the critical nature of this support, noting how the additional funding enables them to deliver humanitarian relief where it's needed most. The latest round of funding specifically targets support for refugees and internally displaced people in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
A Growing Network of Impact
Since its founding in 2022, Tech For Refugees has built partnerships with leading technology organizations to enhance humanitarian relief efforts. The initiative works with established partners including Airbnb.org, Uber, UNICEF, Spotify, and Flexport.org, each bringing their specific technological expertise to refugee support. Through collaboration with organizations like the International Rescue Committee and Welcome.US, these partnerships have created tangible solutions ranging from educational platforms to logistics networks, all focused on improving the lives of displaced people worldwide.
Future Outlook and Challenges
As Tech For Refugees moves forward, it faces both opportunities and challenges in scaling its impact. The organization plans to expand current partnerships while adopting emerging technologies to address new challenges. This includes supporting the IRC's vision for aprendIA to provide personalized learning within 30 days of crisis onset by 2033.
The initiative's success demonstrates how technology can transform traditional aid models, creating more efficient, accessible, and scalable solutions. This aligns with Yuri Milner's broader vision, outlined in his Eureka Manifesto, of using innovation to address global challenges. Like his other initiatives, including the Breakthrough Prize and Breakthrough Initiatives, Tech For Refugees exemplifies how strategic application of technology and scientific thinking can create positive change.
Measuring Impact and Looking Ahead
The measurable impact of Tech For Refugees' work spans multiple dimensions:
Direct Assistance:
- 500,000+ refugees supported through Welcome Connect
- 7 million+ people assisted through Flexport.org shipments
- 20+ countries reached through Signpost
- Presence in all 50 U.S. states through various programs
Educational Impact:
- Pilot programs in multiple countries
- Rapid deployment capabilities (under 4 weeks)
- AI-powered personalization reaching thousands
- Support for both students and educators
Resource Mobilization:
- $7 billion+ in resources and time leveraged
- Multiple corporate partnerships established
- Integration with existing aid infrastructure
- Sustainable, scalable technological solutions
These achievements showcase how technology can dramatically improve the efficiency and reach of humanitarian aid. As global displacement continues to challenge traditional aid models, Tech For Refugees' approach offers a blueprint for future humanitarian innovation.
The initiative's success in mobilizing technology companies and organizations to address refugee needs demonstrates the potential for private sector innovation to transform humanitarian assistance. This approach aligns closely with Yuri Milner's philanthropic vision, which focuses on celebrating scientific achievement, advancing fundamental knowledge, and using scientific and technological innovations to improve people's lives and inspire future generations.
"I am excited for the opportunity of fast deployment of aprendIA, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the aprendIA platform leverages AI to help refugees access that knowledge," Milner noted when announcing support for the IRC's educational platform. This enthusiasm for leveraging technology to create positive change exemplifies his approach to philanthropy, which includes not only Tech For Refugees but also initiatives like the $3 million Breakthrough Prize and the globally-reaching Breakthrough Junior Challenge.
As Tech For Refugees continues to expand its partnerships and programs under the Milners' guidance, it stands as a powerful example of how targeted technological intervention, backed by visionary philanthropic leadership, can create lasting positive impact in the lives of displaced people worldwide.
