Resilience and Reconnection: Rebuilding a Life Through Digital Learning

Welcome to Voices of Resilience Season 3, brought to you by Na'amal, a non-profit and social enterprise dedicated to empowering forcibly displaced individuals through dignified remote work. In this episode, we delve into the exciting and sometimes challenging landscape of AI and Africa's digital future.

In this powerful episode, we are joined by Sherrifa, a resilient learner originally from Sudan, now based in Ethiopia. Her story is one of determination, heartbreak, and healing, a journey shaped by years of systemic exclusion from education and reignited by a single opportunity to learn again.

Hosted by Clay Lowe, this conversation highlights the emotional and practical realities of navigating displacement, and how trust-based learning and community support can help restore confidence, purpose, and dreams once thought lost.

About Our Guest:

Sherrifa arrived in Addis Ababa six and a half years ago with a dream to continue her education. But she was repeatedly denied access due to bureaucratic barriers and expired academic documents. Despite the setbacks, she found ways to survive, tutoring, taking informal jobs, and confronting depression and self-doubt.

Everything shifted when she joined Na’amal. The program reconnected her to learning, introduced her to digital skills and remote work, and most importantly, helped her reclaim her sense of worth and possibility.

Episode Highlights

Fighting for Education in Exile

• The heartbreak of being accepted into her dream program, only to be turned away again
• Navigating a complex system that often excludes displaced learners
• What survival looked like while waiting for another chance

Healing and Rebuilding Through Learning

• The mental and emotional toll of prolonged uncertainty and rejection
• Discovering Na’amal and reconnecting with digital learning
• How personalized support and community helped rebuild her confidence

Skills, Growth, and a New Beginning

• The digital and professional skills that opened new doors
• How her mindset has transformed since completing the program
• What Sherrifa is dreaming of now

Advice for Others

• Words of encouragement for displaced youth who feel stuck or hopeless
• Her vision for a world where access to education and opportunity isn’t limited by borders or paperwork

Discussion Topics

• Education in exile: systemic barriers and hidden costs
• The role of mentorship and community in restoring hope
• Mental health and meaning: how learning can support healing
• Digital inclusion: making upskilling accessible to displaced learners
• Youth resilience: why agency and opportunity must go hand-in-hand

Connect with Us:

• Na'amal Website: namal.org
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/naamal/posts/?feedView=all 
• Instagram: _naamal_