From adversity to empowerment: eight refugee entrepreneurs – in photos – Constructive Information

Eight London-based refugees turned entrepreneurs are being celebrated in a photograph sequence, launched to mark Refugee Week (17-23 June).

Photographer JJ Keith has collaborated with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Community (TERN) on the gathering of portraits, that are a part of his wider venture – Open Britain – about greater than 100 first-generation migrants in Britain.

These behind Open Britain and TERN provide the possibility to assist refugee-led companies by Anqa: Europe’s first on-line market for refugee-led companies, launched by TERN in 2020.

“Everybody ought to have the best to comply with their aspirations,” says Isobelle Ford, head of group ventures at TERN. “Every of the TERN x Open Britain tales spotlights the dream of an entrepreneur in our group, and follows the challenges they’ve overcome to make it a actuality. Collectively, we are able to create a society the place each refugee has a good probability of constructing a livelihood.”

Learn on for the business-owners’ tales.

Akbar Majidova: the chef who discovered success on the UK culinary scene

Akbar, a chef initially from Uzbekistan, has constructed a profitable culinary profession within the UK. Collectively together with his spouse Sanobar, he runs the restaurant A Style of Samarkand with the goal of showcasing and preserving their tradition’s culinary traditions. In Uzbekistan, sharing meals, notably the signature rice dish palav, is an emblem of hospitality, unity and compassion.

Akbar and Sanobar took half in Meals Energy – TERN’s incubation programme for meals and beverage entrepreneurs from a refugee background – the place they received awards for his or her dishes and galvanizing story. Their final objective isn’t solely to advertise their scrumptious meals but in addition to contribute to society, particularly in areas comparable to training, arts, music and supporting girls and youngsters of their dwelling nation.

Oleksii and Oksana Chaiun: founders of a family-focused agency

Husband and spouse Oksana and Oleksii Chaiun met whereas working for {an electrical} retailer in Ukraine. Oksana got here to the UK with 18-month-old Yeva and 14-year-old Artem three months after the Russian invasion, separated from Oleksii for greater than a yr and a half.

Oksana and Oleksii had a dream to be reunited, and begin a enterprise collectively. Oleksii began working with a buddy’s woodwork manufacturing unit whereas he was nonetheless in Ukraine and confirmed Oksana some oak homeware prototypes. In 2023 Oksana visited Oleksii in Ukraine. She returned with a few of their lights and so they offered out instantly. Their laborious work, experience and skills got here collectively to create Gentle Craft Household, handcrafted LED evening lights that solid a heat glow in acquainted shapes.

Their mission is “to make any area really feel like dwelling”, the best way their household feels at dwelling wherever they’re collectively. The Chaiun’s imaginative and prescient is for his or her nightlights to unfold peace, love and light-weight, not solely to assist their very own household right here, however to assist trade in Ukraine by manufacturing the oak items there, and hand-assembling within the UK.

Olena Nesterenko: discovering the stage once more

The whole lot modified for bubble present artist Olena when the struggle started in Ukraine. In April 2022 she got here to the UK together with her “two daughters, a small bag and some paperwork” beneath the Properties for Ukraine scheme. She rapidly managed to get a job as a instructing assistant. Olena was reluctant to proceed with the bubbles, it by some means didn’t really feel proper. However together with her psychological well being struggling, she realised that her ardour was the remedy she wanted. “After I carry out now, I nonetheless have this particular feeling. If I’m in a foul temper, have dangerous emotions, or really feel unwell, the whole lot passes instantly,” she says.

Max: therapeutic by pictures and artwork

Max got here to the UK in 2015 as a refugee. It took him 5 years to get asylum standing, at which level his post-traumatic stress dysfunction peaked. He would expertise nightmares about his persecution, so devised a singular option to cope: he put up Union Jack flags with indicators in his government-sponsored room. The indicators learn ‘I’m protected’ and ‘This isn’t actual’ to assist him get well when he woke at evening. The Helen Bamber Basis supported Max each legally and together with his psychological and bodily well being all through his time as a refugee. A part of this assist was a pictures workshop known as Photograph Nomad, which Max credit with “turning his life from darkness to mild”.

Razieh Riazati: the scientific psychologist turned ceramic artist

Razieh Riazati has based a ceramics model, Raaz Pottery, within the UK following her departure from Iran, the place she labored in an orphanage instructing youngsters pottery. Razieh continues to show pottery, and is working with TERN to promote her artwork by Anqa Collective and extra extensively. Razieh explains that the earth and clay is completely different right here within the UK, reflecting her adaptation to her new life. “Migration isn’t straightforward. Even the straightforward issues should change – our habits and former way of life.”

Veronika Shmorhun: uncovering hope in nature

Veronika Shmorhun was dwelling in Kyiv when the Russians invaded, finding out for her MA in graphic design, whereas additionally finding out style design. She lived for 2 weeks beneath Russian occupation earlier than evacuating by Poland to get a flight to London in April 2022. In search of respite, she began to color: her major topic is nature, impressed by each the bombing, burned grain fields and damaged timber that’s the actuality of the Ukrainian panorama at present, and the hope and calm offered by the forests and parks within the UK.

She has produced 4 exhibitions in beneath two years, together with a bunch present on the Saatchi Gallery. In the meantime she has made the headdress and black outfit pictured right here – her trendy tribute to her homeland and nationwide costume. She wears some of the conventional color mixtures: black, which symbolises ploughed land, unhappiness and darkness, with crimson: symbolising love, hearth, life and spilled blood. Veronika is working with TERN to develop her profile as an artist, in addition to creating a profession as a compositor in movie post-production.

Vladimir Kolodin: uniting individuals by way of music

Vladimir Kolodin was unable to be brazenly homosexual in Kazakstan and confronted continued oppression amidst the chaos that adopted the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2016 he was compelled to surrender his “comfortable life” and flee to the UK. In Kazakstan, Vlad did a PhD in psychology, frolicked with underground shaman artists and drummers”, and performed a wide range of devices as a pastime earlier than discovering work as a scientific psychologist and instructing at college.

Within the UK, an absence of recognition of Vlad’s Kazak {qualifications} restricted the work he might do right here. He continued to play and study new devices and recognised he might mix his ardour for supporting individuals’s psychological well being together with his love for music. He based Faerie Mystic, which makes use of a mix of acoustic, indigenous devices and various religious traditions to create transcendental music that’s designed to deliver individuals collectively and enhance their psychological wellbeing.

Vlad additionally felt that a lot of the queer group may benefit from religious focus and is concentrating on serving to this group by making a protected and joyful area for individuals of all genders and sexualities. Vlad is working with TERN to develop his imaginative and prescient for Faerie Mystic – he hopes to create a competition and an area for community-building.

Yeukai Taruvinga: empowering younger individuals in London  

Yeukai Taruvinga is an activist, entrepreneur and founding father of Energetic Horizons. Born in Zimbabwe, she fled to the UK resulting from political unrest and spent 9 years within the asylum system. Now, she leads Energetic Horizons, a youth-led organisation empowering migrant and refugee younger individuals in London. She additionally runs Shumba Boutique, for which she creates vibrant African clothes and helps girls in Zimbabwe. The garments can be found by TERN’s on-line store.

All pictures: JJ Keith