1) Karavan is a mobile app and nonprofit organization that aims to build harmonious communities by facilitating skill and service exchanges between refugees and citizens using a points-based system.
2) The founder, Soraya Beheshti, was inspired to create Karavan after visiting refugee camps in Europe and the Middle East and witnessing the isolation of refugees.
3) Through the app, users can offer and request services, arrange meetups using GPS, log work hours to earn points for future services, and provide reviews to verify identities and experiences.
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More than 60 million people are
displaced worldwide,
with no country to
call home.
Lets make it zero.
The average length of time spent
in a refugee camp is
17 years.
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GREATEST
CHALLENGES
One of the
facing society
today is how best
to build
harmonious and
tolerant
communities.ITH THE RISE OF XENOPHOBIC NATIONALISM
THE POTENTIAL FOR A
UNITED HUMANITY IS
THREATENED
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Refugees living in
camps & UNHCR
mandate
Resettled in 2015
(with work permits)
People forced to flee
their homes DAILY
due to conflict or
persecution
CURRENTLY
People forcibly
displaced worldwide65
MILLION
21
MILLION
107,100
34,000
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61% of refugees live in urban
settings
They are prohibited from earning money in many countries
Per week
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Countless
psychological
benefits arise
from the
feeling of
Social:
As well as from
nurturing
meaningful
relationships
STUDIES
SHOW
onomic:
The most effective way of
rehabilitating refugee populations is
by integrating them into the social,
economic and cultural spheres
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POINTS SYSTEM
Our aim is to break down
walls by enabling citizens and
refugees to interact as
equally empowered
participants in mutually
MOBILE APP
KARAVAN
FACILITATING SKILL
& SERVICE EXCHANGES
BETWEEN REFUGEES
AND CITIZENS
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HOW IT WORKS
Safely exchange skills and services with our built-in identity-verification measures using our
points system
— no money involved
Users create
profiles
detailing the
skills and
services they
would like to
offer
š š
GPS system
connects users
in geographical
proximity who
are offering the
requested
services
Users use our
in-app functions
to arrange
logistics. They
log start and
end hours, and
earn points/hour
of service
After each
transaction,
users rate and
review their
experience
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WHY WE EXIST
• We believe that the world is a better
place when human rights don’t stop
at a border.
• We believe the world is a better
place when every individual is
treated with respect, dignity and
value.
• We believe in a united humanity.
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Founder
Soraya
conducts
research and
visits camps in
Jordan, France
and the UK
The idea for the app was born in the ‘Jungle’, Northern France’s
notorious refugee camp
May - August
2016
She starts a
Facebook
group to
determine the
level of interest
in refugee-
citizen skill
exchanges
Two weeks
later
4000 members
have joined the
group from 15
different
countries
Articles of
incorporation as a
non-profit signed;
crowdfunding
campaign launched;
app development
underway
February
2017
Soraya
continues
research at
Columbia;
monitors the
page & assists
refugees daily
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China
Spain
United Kingdom
France
Portugal
Ireland Austria
Morocco
Tunisia
Italy
Sweden
Greece
USA
Mexico
Russia
Turkey
Syria
Egypt
Japan
Philippines
VietnamMalaysia
Indonesia
New Zealand
Sudan
Lebanon
Belgium
Netherlands
Switzerland
Jordan
UAE
Oman
Afghanistan
India
LOCATION OF ACTIVE USERS ON OUR GROUP
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Accumulate points
Users will have a
wallet, displaying their
current balance, as
well as an ‘all-time
points-earned’ score
Use points for a wide range of services
- online or in person
From cooking and
language lessons to
web design work, medical
advice and help around
the help
Make connections
Blazing trails of
community where there
were none
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SORAYA BEHESHTI
S.BEHESHTI@COLUMBIA.EDU
Soraya is a BA/MA student at Columbia University, double-
majoring in Film and Middle Eastern studies and specializing
in post-colonial marginalization, displacement and migration.
She advocates passionately about veganism,
environmentalism and issues of exploitation through her
website, online store and creative projects. She also studies
several languages, and enjoys making documentary films and
music.
Meet Our
FounderAfter having spent time studying,
researching, visiting camps and
interacting with refugees in
Jordan and Europe (including “The
Jungle”, northern France’s
notorious unofficial refugee
camp), Soraya sought an
interdisciplinary approach to the
crisis, spanning the humanitarian,
political and academic realms.
She wanted to develop an
innovative tech solution that had
significant scaleability; to create a global
movement. The aim was to supersede
typical humanitarian responses,
which are sometimes demeaning or
unsustainable.