How Companies in the U.S. Can Mentor Refugee Women

Though refugee women have varying backgrounds and reasons for coming to the U.S., they often encounter steep barriers when finding jobs and advancing in their careers in the country on account of their “double disadvantage” as both refugees and women. In 2019, only 40% of refugee women were employed, compared to 74% of refugee men. 

Mentorship can be incredibly beneficial in helping refugee women to find work and advance their careers – both for those still unemployed as well as for those mid- to high-skilled struggling to find jobs that match their skill sets. It is why Tent has joined with Catalyst to launch the Refugee Women Mentorship Program – an initiative through which companies in the U.S. will commit to provide mentorship to more than 1,500 refugee women. 

This resource provides companies in the U.S. with critical information about how to partner with Tent to establish and implement an effective mentorship program for refugee women. It includes:

• A general overview of refugee women in the U.S., including who they are, as well as the challenges they face when trying to find, secure, and maintain work.
• Information for companies about how to implement a scalable mentorship program in partnership with Tent.
• Information for mentors about how to advocate, coordinate, manage, and build a productive relationship with their mentee.

This guide is a collaboration between the Tent Partnership for Refugees and Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS).