embyy
A Luxembourg-based NGO is helping young refugees in six countries, with an innovative new app helping to integrate them within their host societies.
On Friday, Emanuele Santi founder of the NGO Riding the Rainbow, appeared on the Sam Steen Show on RTL Today Radio.
Santi's organisation provides a platform to facilitate the sharing of pre-loved belongings (particularly sports equipment and musical instruments) with young refugees and asylum seekers.
It all started as a small initiative to distribute his own kid's old bikes. But it quickly outgrew Santi's garage.
Santi told Sam Steen that the initiative is about far more than just distributing second-hand goods. When donors and refugees meet up, it provides an opportunity to engage and make new connections, such as steering young asylum seekers towards opportunities like playing football clubs.
In one case, Santi connected a woman with a refugee family with three children. The woman had just one kid's bike to spare, but when she met the family, she was so touched that she went to Auchan to buy two brand new bikes.
Six months later, Riding the Rainbow has digitised, thanks to the collaborative efforts of two Luxembourg foundations and talented Ukrainian developers.
The app, now operational in six countries, aims to change the way that giving takes place, removing intermediaries and quite literally narrowing distances between givers and beneficiaries with its location-based system.
How does it work?
Donors simply post a photo of the item they wish to donate and refugees within a certain radius can then request the items through the app and arrange to meet up.
The app serves a dual purpose. It both helps the integration of refugees within their host societies and facilitates the circular economy.
You can download the app for iOS or Android, or find out more about Riding the Rainbow via their website, Facebook or Instagram.
