Resilient Futures

Rebuilding lives and livelihoods         

There are 82.4 million refugees and internally displaced people globally – the highest on record. Not only are millions displaced, they’re displaced for longer periods of time, and the majority live in cities rather than camps. In this new humanitarian landscape, earning a reliable income is critical, not only for refugees and vulnerable young people to survive, but to rebuild their futures and contribute to the communities and local economies around them.  

There are also more young people in the world now than ever before – 1.2 billion – and they face huge challenges with employment. 

That’s why the IRC and the Citi Foundation teamed up in 2017 through our Resilient Futures partnership to back young people with business training and start-up grants. We're highlighting some of their incredible stories through our Back My Business campaign.

Resilient Futures is now operating in Greece, Germany, Cameroon, Nigeria, Lebanon, Jordan and Mexico.

Since 2020, the programme has adapted to focus on building business resiliency in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With targeted support to build vulnerable young people’s skills, grow their networks, provide capital support, and proactively engage with the local community, Resilient Futures will help young people affected by crisis and displacement to weather the global economic crisis and emerge more resilient contributors to their communities.

Resilient Futures is part of the Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress commitment to support young people around the world build economic resilience through training and mentorship.