For the past 20 years, Palladium has committed 1.5% of our profit before tax to our global giving platform, Let’s Make it Possible. Through this platform and in partnership with the Kyeema Foundation, Palladium funds humanitarian relief efforts, supports community projects nominated by employees, and runs an annual Challenge Fund to tackle a major global problem.

Conflict can leave unimaginable destruction in its wake, and the work to rebuild requires more than funding; it requires people with passion, resilience, and skillsets matched to the country’s reconstruction needs. Many of these people could be ‘returnees’ – whether refugees or other emigrants returned home.

Every year, Palladium brings in ideas from across its global network to source innovative responses to global challenges through the Palladium Challenge Fund. This year, there is up to $100,000 available to support projects with groundbreaking and sustainable ideas that connect refugees as a workforce with the post-conflict needs of their home countries.

The theme for this year’s Challenge is “When it’s Time to Rebuild: Jobs for Refugee Returnees.”

“From Ukraine to Gaza to South Sudan, recovery will take decades,” says Palladium co-CEO Sinéad Magill. These and more will embark on a long and complex road, key to which is the recovery of the labour market to ensure meaningful livelihoods for people in the process.

According to Magill, it’s time to reinvent the development approaches traditionally relied upon during and after a conflict. “In conflict-affected countries, we need to be ready when the task of rebuilding begins,” she says. “The answer is in new ideas, new players, and new technology, blended with the development sector as we know it now.”

Building a Life and Future at Home

Without empowered workers with the right skills, rebuilding after a conflict is slow and poverty often remains high, making it even more difficult for people to return to their home countries.

“The task at hand needs people,” explains Magill, “but just as much, people need to be connected to the tasks at hand.” This is particularly true for youth who may see more opportunity to build their lives elsewhere, when the right approach to skills development and matching could help them build a life and future at home.

The potential to transform workforce development is huge.

Market led training can help fill labour gaps, faster. Innovative technologies can scale up digital education and target skill building. Improvements to services like childcare and transportation make it easier for individuals to start (and keep) jobs. And new thinking and approaches can match up refugee skillsets with what’s really needed.

The team is seeking proposals from organisations that offer innovative and sustainable building a strong post-conflict labour market, connecting returnees with meaningful livelihoods, and supporting economic reconstruction and social transformation.

Interested organisations can learn more and apply at letsmakeitpossible.com.