7 Refugee-Owned Businesses You Should Support In Honor Of World Refugee Day

Get ready to be inspired by these entrepreneurs who combined knowledge and passion to achieve their dreams.

In honor of World Refugee Day on June 20, we're shining a light on refugees who have overcome incredible adversity to rebuild their lives, and create businesses in their new communities with the help of the International Rescue Committee.

1. Heart Of Ukraine

Olha's family fled Ukraine after war broke out in February 2022. Their escape took them through forests and backroads, ultimately taking 36 hours to reach the nearest border crossing. They then stayed in three different countries over the course of two months and finally settled with family in Utah.

Olha spoke very little English when she arrived, but she was resilient and creative. She bridged the gap between language and culture by starting her own business Heart Of Ukraine, making and selling traditional Oreshki cookies. 

“Every time I get an order, there is joy in my heart,” says Olha. “This business makes me feel like I have a purpose here. It has given me light in the darkness.”    

2. Abyssinia Restaurant and Cafe

Azeb is a refugee from Ethiopia who came to Phoenix 12 years ago with a dream of one day opening her very own restaurant. Through the IRC's Economic Empowerment Program, she was given a loan to start a business. Azeb opened the Abyssinia Restaurant and Cafe in 2015. Her mission? To offer her community exceptional Ethiopian cuisine at an affordable price.

3. Enfance Radieuse Childcare

Fatima and her two children resettled in the United States as refugees from Togo after her husband sought asylum in 2016. Though she has dealt with the difficulty of cultural and social integration, she has not only supported her family, but she's also graduated from the IRC’s Child Care Business program in Salt Lake City and is studying for her nursing degree.

Earlier this year, Fatima announced her new childcare business, Enfance Radieuse — meaning “Light of Children." As a mother of two herself, she knows how important it is for children to be safe and taken care of. Fatima’s hope for Enfance Radieuse is that the kids feel like they are at home when they come to her daycare.     

4. Too Sabrozo Delicatessen

Isela arrived as a political asylee from Colombia. She fled Cartagena in 2015 due to persecution by the government for her activism defending the Black and Afro-descendant communities of Colombia. She's an enterprising wife, mother, and  professional chef with a passion for cuisine. Too Sabrozo Delicatessen, her thriving business and food truck, is the fulfillment of a dream. Every dish she serves reflects that passion and authenticity.

Isela sells her food at local farmers markets, is a supplier to local specialty grocers, offers deliveries, and caters for events. Her next dream? To one day open her own restaurant!

5. Egide and Anezi, New Roots Tucson Farmers

Egide and Anezi are farmers and refugees from Burundi. Egide and his family arrived in 2016, and Anezi and her family arrived in 2015. They now grow hot peppers and a variety of other produce at the IRC’s New Roots program in Tucson, Arizona and have partnered with a local restaurant, LaCo, to provide their locally grown chiles for LaCo’s house-made hot sauces. Egide and Anezi also sell their produce at local farmer's markets across Tucson.

Egide and Anezi are ecstatic that the Tucson community can finally taste what they devoted so much time to carefully grow and create at LaCo and other places. Egide said, “I am so pleased because it makes me feel like what I am doing, the work I am doing, is being enjoyed by other people.”

6. Zubaidah Boutique

Zubaidah arrived in the U.S. from Iraq as a refugee in 2014. She now owns Zubaidah Boutique, where she creates high-end, handmade jewelry. 

Zubaidah says, “Since childhood, I have had a passion for disassembling and assembling things to see what they would look like in a new way or to learn how they are made. I always have new ideas to create beautiful things that make people happy.”        

7. Dija’s Touch

Kadijatu was born in Sierra Leone but resettled as a refugee in Arizona in 2000. One day, she pulled a pair of sneakers apart to learn how to make them herself. That was the beginning of a journey that resulted in Dija’s Touch, her shoe brand and platform for women’s empowerment.

Today, with support from the IRC Microenterprise Program, Kadijatu uses African prints to create custom-designed shoes and products.    

All images courtesy of the IRC.

Refugees are changemakers, tastemakers, dream makers, and so much more. Wherever they come from, wherever they live, refugees are shaping policies, art, traditions, dreams, and futures in ordinary — and extraordinary — ways. The International Rescue Committee helps refugees and people affected by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and rebuild their lives. For more information, and if you would like to make a donation, visit Rescue.org.