Eight London-based refugees turned entrepreneurs are being celebrated in a photo series, released to mark Refugee Week (17-23 June).
Photographer JJ Keith has collaborated with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (TERN) on the collection of portraits, which are part of his wider project – Open Britain – about more than 100 first-generation migrants in Britain.
Those behind Open Britain and TERN offer the chance to support refugee-led businesses through Anqa: Europe’s first online marketplace for refugee-led businesses, launched by TERN in 2020.
“Everyone should have the right to follow their aspirations,” says Isobelle Ford, head of community ventures at TERN. “Each of the TERN x Open Britain stories spotlights the dream of an entrepreneur in our community, and follows the challenges they have overcome to make it a reality. Together, we can create a society where every refugee has a fair chance of building a livelihood.”
Read on for the business-owners’ stories.