DUBAI: The co-founder of an online platform that hires refugees and displaced persons as online tutors, teachers and translators was among 18 recipients of the 2025 Schwab Foundation Award announced on the first day of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.
Aline Sara, co-founder of NaTakallam (Arabic for “we speak”), has been enabling refugees and other conflict-affected people to earn an income online and connect them with people around the world through language.
In this context, the social enterprise “disrupts the conventional approach to humanitarian aid” and uses the gig economy to promote sustainable solutions to major crises, according to the Schwab Foundation’s official statement.
Although the idea was inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis, Sara, a Lebanese citizen, has expanded the platform to serve displaced people around the world, reaching as far as Venezuela, Burundi and Yemen.
Launched with an initial offer of online Arabic conversation classes, NaTakallam proposes services ranging from translation, interpretation and transcription to an Arabic curriculum in partnership with Cornell University in the US. Other languages include Persian and Spanish to address the pressing needs of Venezuelan refugees.
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, awarded 18 social entrepreuners from 15 organizations whose groundbreaking solutions address urgent issues and drive positive change around the world.
“This year’s awardees are addressing health disparities from the United States to Zambia, creating income opportunities for displaced individuals, combatting deforestation in Central and West Africa, and improving the lives of vulnerable communities in India and beyond,” the foundation said in a statement.
The entrepreneurs were rewarded based on their business, social development and environmental models that are helping to build a more equitable and sustainable world.
According to the WEF, social entrepreneurship and innovation are gaining momentum worldwide, with more than 10 million social enterprises creating 200 million jobs and generating $2 trillion annually.
Despite their significant economic contribution and commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, social enterprises face a $1.1 trillion funding need.
At the Annual Meeting 2025, the Schwab Foundation aims to spotlight social entrepreneurs and innovators who are already leading the way with successful and innovative business models and, ultimately, help advance these solutions at scale to reach more of the world’s people.
Francois Bonnici, director of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, said: “Our world is grappling with instability, polarization and disenfranchisement while facing extreme, unpredictable weather events and disasters. It is also undergoing a radical transformation with both the green and digital transitions.
“Although this comes with economic opportunity, it also risks exacerbating existing inequalities or creating new ones,” he said. “In the face of these significant challenges, the need for bold and innovative solutions has never been more pressing. The work of social entrepreneurs and innovators is not just important, it is essential.”
