Ideas, stories, and conversations that shape how the world sees displacement.
Refugee Can Be brings the experiences, ideas, and leadership of refugees into conversations about education, opportunity, displacement, and what becomes possible when human potential is met with investment. Explore selected writing, media, and public conversations featuring Refugee Can Be and its founder, Chantale Zuzi.
Recent News
One Girl’s Journey After Her Grandma Said to Kill Her
The New York Times | By Nicholas Kristof | October 1, 2025
Nicholas Kristof traces Chantale Zuzi’s journey from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through displacement and education to the founding of Refugee Can Be. The column examines what is lost when girls with the capacity to learn and lead are denied the opportunity to develop that potential.
When Young People Lead: Rethinking Education Systems
SXSW EDU | March 10, 2026
Chantale Zuzi joined young leaders reimagining what education makes possible beyond access. The conversation examined how lived experience can inform leadership, strengthen young people’s agency, and shape the systems that determine whose ideas and potential are given room to develop.
Dear Fellow Refugees, Here's How I Found Resilience
TEDWomen 2023 | October 2023
Chantale Zuzi Leader is one of the millions of displaced people around the world. In a deeply moving talk, she reflects on losing her family, home and sense of safety — only to break through and ultimately find community and hope. It's an astounding story of resilience that speaks to today's refugee crisis.
UNHCR and Platon Launch Collaboration to Bring Refugee Voices, Aspirations into Focus
UNHCR | March 27, 2023
Portrait of a Stranger, a creative multimedia collaboration between world-renowned photographer and storyteller Platon, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will debut today in partnership with...
Cultural Leaders as a Catalyst of Change with Platon
Nativa Economics | January 19, 2023
Join photographer Platon, in conversation with Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to discuss the power of film and photography to represent the many faces and voices of those forced to flee.
This Former Refugee Is Using Her Voice to Build a More Compassionate World
UNHCR | By Chantale Zuzi | June 9, 2021
Every human deserves the dignity of human rights and justice. My purpose in life is to ensure that every person is provided with those inalienable rights. This direction was determined by the earliest events of my life. At my birth, I was denied basic human rights. I was born an albino, and in my community, albinos are viewed as outcasts. Only my parents believed that I had a right to live.
Growing up was a challenge, with no accommodations for...
Telegram & Gazette | By Bill Doyle | November 21, 2020
Chantale Zuzi was in tears when the Women’s Initiative of the United Way of Central Massachusetts recently presented her with the Meridith D. Wesby Young Leader Award.
Those who spoke about her that night and many of the 125 supporters and donors for the women’s leadership group who watched her accept the award during the...
UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie Reunites with RefuSHE Alumna Chantale Zuzi for World Refugee Day
Harper's BAZAAR | By Alison S. Cohn | June 12, 2020
Three years ago, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Special Envoy Angelina Jolie attended her first fashion show on World Refugee Day during a visit to the RefuSHE safe house for separated and orphaned girls and young women in Nairobi, Kenya.
RefuSHE, a pioneering nongovernmental organization, seeks to fill a crucial gap in care...
For interviews, speaking engagements, panels, media requests, and event appearances, contact info@refugeecanbe.org.
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Refugee Can Be does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin and is committed to providing programs and a workplace free from racial discrimination.
