Four women share how Kiron’s THRIVE program supported them in acquiring in-demand tech skills, rebuilding their confidence, and taking steps toward new careers in data analysis and applied AI.

Kiron celebrates the graduation of more than 75 THRIVE learners, all women with refugee and migration backgrounds, who spent the last nine months building tech skills, confidence, and community.

THRIVE Afghanistan launched its second cohort in the autumn of 2025, providing Afghan learners with digital, business, and English skills to create pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.

Last month, Kiron’s NextGen Leaders wrapped up its pilot program with inspiring project pitches to a panel of experts and a celebratory dinner in Berlin. Over the course of six months, participants developed leadership skills, expanded their professional networks, and gained the confidence to shape their communities and careers.

As Kiron’s Wir für Chancen program successfully closes its final cohort, we reflect on the journeys of three learners whose professional paths were transformed through tailored coaching, and we introduce the new SkillsForward program.

From navigating new careers to gaining confidence in unfamiliar environments, learners around the world share how the Kiron Mentoring program has helped them rebuild their professional paths.

Despite advanced degrees and years of experience, refugee women face disproportionately steep barriers to joining the job market, especially in fast-evolving fields like tech. Kiron's THRIVE program is helping women close the 46-point gender gap with digital upskilling, real-world experience, and a supportive network that opens doors.

Through Kiron’s Boost Your Career with AI program in partnership with LinkedIn, displaced professionals in Germany are gaining the skills, confidence, and connections to thrive in an AI-driven job market.

Barred from education and work under Taliban rule, Afghan women like Roqia, Arghawan, Nazanin, and Shayesta long to learn, grow, and contribute to their communities. Through Kiron’s THRIVE Afghanistan program, they have found a path forward.

TE Connectivity director and board member John Nirmal shares his experience volunteering as a mentor for the Kiron Mentoring program.

In partnership with TE Connectivity, Kiron Mentoring returns this summer with its fourth cohort of mentees.

At Kiron, we believe in providing not just education, but opportunities that open doors. One of our initiatives, Wir Für Chancen (meaning Together for opportunities), does just that. Funded by LinkedIn, the project equips Kiron learners with practical skills and professional insights to boost their careers.

In this new cycle of THRIVE, 250 women currently living in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland will receive training in Data Analytics and Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI)—fields where skilled professionals are in high demand.

In 2023, Kiron launched THRIVE, an upskilling program for women with refugee or migration experience that provides them with practical digital skills, language, and soft skills training so they can excel in their career pursuits.

In 2019, Dina Abdelhafez, Ph.D., was studying in Czechia when she visited Berlin, Germany, for a semester abroad. She fell in love with the city, started learning German, and eventually planned her move. Five years later, she had finished the THRIVE program, and we had the opportunity to learn more about her journey.

In this blog post, Katrin shares her experience as a mentor with Kiron. From the challenges she faced to the profound impact on her mentee's journey and her joy in fostering personal and professional growth, discover how mentoring goes beyond a professional duty for Katrin.

For many refugees, finding a job is challenging. Some lack formal certificates to enter the labor market or face tedious and costly job recognition processes.

INTEGRAL+ – Integration and participation of refugees in the context of digital teaching and learning scenarios through personalization and scaling

Rania is one of our students who took part in these “offline” events in Germany. Rania was a journalist and activist from Egypt.

Milena, a 36-year-old single mother of two from Venezuela, is expanding her digital skillset in the hopes of starting her own company from home.

Wafaa is a student who benefited from the Building a Learning Environment for Study Success (BLESS) project, and even sat on the panel discussion group during Women’s Week.