In 2016, Jean‑Marie Ndikumana made the painful decision to flee from home. He abandoned his promising university studies in banking and finance at the Université Martin Luther King in Bujumbura, Burundi.
When he arrived in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp, he faced isolation, harsh conditions, and the abrupt end of his academic ambitions. However, not all hopes were lost.
For survival, Jean-Marie picked up a job as a construction site worker, which he described as ‘strenuous and not sustainable.’ Later, he enrolled in a free computer training course at the Don Bosco Technical Institute and improved his English language skills.
Using the skills he acquired at Don Bosco, he started training others in programming, through which he earned some stipends. In 2017, he joined his friend to start URISE Initiative for Africa, a non-governmental organisation that promotes peace and shares skills among refugees. In 2020, he joined stepup.one, a social enterprise connecting refugees to global digital jobs.
All seemed to be going well with Jean-Marie until he realised that he needed to improve his digital skills, owing to the evolving nature of the digital landscape globally. To stay relevant, in June 2024, Jean-Marie enrolled in a six-month digital skills training programme of the International Trade Centre and VISA Foundation.
He joined the training to learn about artificial intelligence, administrative support, digital project management, digital marketing, e-commerce, and freelancing. Now, he uses those skills to amplify his work at steup.one and URISE Initiative.
‘Thanks to the skills I acquired through this training, it is helping me to enhance my work,’ he said. ‘Eighty percent of our work now uses AI, and since I learned the introduction to AI tools at the training, I have been more efficient in my work.’
Also, with the digital skills he acquired, Jean-Marie has registered a new business, Ndikumedia Limited, to deliver a wide range of services such as tech consulting, graphic design, video production, translations etc.
As a new entrepreneur set to begin operations in January 2026, Jean-Marie will become an employer, something he described as ‘exciting’.
‘With this new business, I can make impact and make profit at the same time,’ he said.
Also, Sudan Nyang Diew, a South Sudanese refugee in Kakuma since 2012, enrolled in the first cohort of ITC’s training in June 2024, where he learned digital marketing, e-commerce and Shopify, project management, and administration support.
He used these skills to serve his clients both locally and digitally as a freelancer. Also, when he joined the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in September 2025, the digital skills he acquired from the training helped him in his role as a community psychosocial counselor.
‘What ITC trained me on is something deep. It shaped my digital skills beyond the basics,’ he said. Today, Sudan supplements his modest stipend at IRC with freelance projects on Upwork and local client work, while nurturing a business idea to launch HeatArt Kakuma, a heat‑press printing enterprise.
Impactful Learning Tour
After his six-month training, Sudan joined some other project participants on a learning tour to Learning Lions, an EdTech program hosted by Startup Lions in Turkana, Kenya.
‘It was during the learning tour that I found out about mobile applications that can aid my work. With these tools, I don’t have to own a laptop to deliver tasks to clients, and I can work from anywhere,’ he said.
Turkana County, Kenya. The refugees went on a learning tour to Learning Lions, an EdTech program hosted by Startup Lions.
About the project
Kenya and Pakistan: Creating digital entrepreneurship opportunities for refugees promotes economic empowerment activities through support in digital service sector to increase income and business opportunities for refugees and MSMEs, with particular focus on women and youth, in Kenya and Pakistan. In Kenya, ITC partnered with the Norwegian Refugee Council and the training sessions were delivered by Reeltam Solutions Limited.
The projected is implemented under the Refugees and Trade Programme and supported by VISA Foundation. See more of our work at our Refugees & Trade page.