Refugee Creativity, Fun

“Where have you been TakenoLAB?” Cedrick John asked in the original poem he performed at the Sub Granting Ceremony at the TakenoLAB ICT Academy. The poem went on to list what TakenoLAB has accomplished: “made our dreams come true,” “taught us skills and entrepreneurship,” and “took us from zero to hero.”

TakenoLAB is a school of technology that offers courses and training to refugees and Malawians. Located just outside the gates of the Dzaleka refugee camp in the Dowa District of Malawi, the school was founded in 2015 by Burundian Remy Gakwaya who lived in the camp as a refugee for more than two decades prior to being resettled in the United States in 2022. TakenoLAB continues to thrive under Gakwaya’s remote supervision and the local direction of Deborah Ntakirutimana, a Burundian who has been a refugee since she was only a few months old—her whole life. 

TakenoLAB’s training is for everyone, regardless of nationality or refugee status. Their courses, all offered at no cost, include digital skills, e-lancing, and entrepreneurship.