Empowering 250 refugees in Switzerland to find jobs and stability

Deloitte CARE, the award-winning project of the 2018 SDG Challenge, aims to empower 250 refugees in Switzerland to lead better and more financially-secure lives while positively contributing to the local economy. The goal of the program is to increase refugees' employability through business acceleration, mentorship, sponsorship, integration events, and co-creation with other companies.

Jessy Bali and Pierre Makoul are just two of many success stories.

Jessy Bali, architect, and Pierre Makoul, IT entrepreneur, are refugees and Deloitte CARE beneficiaries who fled from Syria to escape war and start a new life. However, their early days in Switzerland were not without their challenges. Jessy found that finding a new job as a woman with children was difficult. And Pierre, a seasoned entrepreneur in Syria, had to start his business from scratch, with no network in a new country.

Jessy worked with her Deloitte mentor to regain her confidence and revamp her portfolio ahead of a successful job interview. Likewise, Pierre’s mentor worked with him each week to build structure around his existing business ideas, helping him to craft them into business plans. Recently, Pierre won a business plan competition and now is focused on scaling one of these ideas.

At Deloitte, we are committed to empowering people to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy. Since the start of CARE, over 60 refugees have participated in the program.