107 - Isobelle Ford

Venice in Italy.

I studied modern languages and medieval languages, moved to Rome as soon as I graduated and worked in startup there. It was there I met a Syrian refugee who was starting a business in the centre of the city selling home cooked Syrian food. That was my first real contact with an entrepreneurial founder from a refugee background. I started working at Tern back in late 2017 when there were four people then in the organisation and now there are nearly 20 of us. I've moved more into focusing on access to markets and access to finance so I specialise now in running an online marketplace called The Anqa collective that showcases products from all the refugee entrepreneurs.

Anytime I am in the sea.

The movement and calmness of water

Yeukai Taruvinga who is originally from Zimbabwe moved to the UK when she was 18 years old. She was involved in some political protests in Zimbabwe and her life was in danger. She thought she was coming here for a couple of months, until things calm down and she's still here 30 years later. Her asylum claim was actually very difficult, stressful and long, but she used that time to volunteer for boards of different charities in London working with young people from very diverse backgrounds. She decided that this was her life's calling. So as soon as she got her refugee status, she set up a social enterprise called Active Horizons and she works now with young refugees, young asylum seekers and young people from the local area and supports them with whatever they need.