Research & public work
Tech4RIM grows from founder Afrikaan Sahra’s long-standing work in refugee advocacy, youth education, digital inclusion and community storytelling. This page identifies both founder-led work and projects formally sponsored by Tech4Refugees or Tech4RIM.
Research & publications
These works are linked to their original Seattle University records so readers can verify the publication context and access the source directly.
Presented at Seattle University’s 2021 Senior Conference, this work examines how unequal technology and internet access limited opportunities in health, education and employment during the pandemic. The university archive lists the presenter under Afrikaan Osman.
View the Seattle University recordPublished in the Seattle University Undergraduate Research Journal, this article examines climate displacement, health vulnerability and international recognition through a refugee-informed perspective.
Read the journal articleCommunity work
Earlier activities are presented as part of Afrikaan Sahra’s founder journey. Later entries name Tech4Refugees or Tech4RIM when the organization served as the program lead or project sponsor.
Afrikaan organized approximately 60 young people around translation support, community activities and youth connection. With other young leaders, Afrikaan also helped create Youth Voices of Kakuma to document refugee talent, skills and daily life through digital storytelling.
Read the documented founder interviewAfrikaan participated in international refugee-youth advocacy, speaking about the proposed closure of Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps, forced return and the importance of including refugee youth in decisions about their futures.
Read the documented founder interviewAfrikaan delivered basic computer-skills classes for East African adults and led summer learning with the Somali Youth and Family Club, teaching mathematics, English and coding to middle- and high-school students.
Read the program historyTech4Refugees used storytelling to highlight the skills and talents of people living in refugee camps. In a 2020 interview, Afrikaan also described mentoring young people in Kenya and Uganda and supporting computer-based learning in Kakuma.
Read the Team Gather interviewAfrikaan helped develop a youth-centered campaign promoting community responsibility, informed vaccination decisions and safer practices, with particular attention to communities experiencing disproportionate pandemic harms.
Read the Alfie Scholars featureTech4Refugees served as a community sponsor for a Seattle University computer-science capstone team developing a multilingual concept for navigating social services. The prototype remains a learning asset for future community testing and development.
Read Seattle University’s project featureMedia & public engagement
These sources provide public documentation of the ideas, projects and experiences that inform Tech4RIM’s mission.
A UK nonprofit’s in-depth interview about digital exclusion, refugee-led storytelling and the origins of Tech4Refugees.
Read the interviewA feature on the youth-centered COVID-19 Civility Pledge and the community experiences that shaped it.
Read the featureCoverage of a cross-border student dialogue on migration, dignity and youth leadership that included Afrikaan Sahra.
Read the articleA profile of Afrikaan’s synodal experience and advocacy concerning migration, interfaith dialogue and the agency of displaced young people.
Read the profileAfrikaan joined a public panel of regional young leaders discussing education, climate justice, poverty and sustainable communities.
View the event recordSeattle University featured Tech4Refugees as a Project Center sponsor and documented the student team’s multilingual service-navigation prototype.
Read the project featureBuild on the record
Tech4RIM welcomes community organizations, educators, researchers, media, technologists and funders interested in responsible collaboration.
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