When contacting Ashish Gadnis, there is a good chance he will answer from anywhere but from his home in Austin, Texas. He might spend a Wednesday in Rwanda, and then by Friday, he is already in Brazil, before taking a flight to Myanmar on a Sunday. Gadnis is on a mission: to help lift 100 million people out of poverty by 2023.

Gadnis knows what poverty is; he grew up in Mumbai, India, in the 1970s. The options to get out of poverty were limited. “I did not want to stay in that ration line. I realized that I could break the cycle of poverty if I could get a job as a software programmer,” he recalls.

However, as a 20-year-old Indian, it wasn’t really about education; it was about getting out of the country: “That was the social dogma at the time: If you wanted a better life, you had to go.” And so, his “second life”, as he calls it, started when he immigrated to Colombia, and then, in 1994, to the United States. Ten years later, he became the Founder and CEO of a successful IT company.

Gadnis never forgot the poverty he had left behind, and he wanted to do something to end it. “I hated being poor in India,” he remembers, “yet, I never saw that what I was doing back then was going to have a long-term impact on ending poverty.”

”I will never forget the poverty I left behind”

Gadnis sold his IT company in 2012 and went to the Congo, working for the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S. AID). “I always like to tell people that my first life was where I was born and raised, and the second life was when I traveled the world, built a business, and finally got out of poverty. My third life started after I sold my last company,” he affirms.

Congolese poverty was shocking even for someone who grew up standing in food lines. Another big shock was that the big aid agencies were not really changing the situation for the people. “It was more like someone had hit me over the head with a massive brick and said, ‘you are doing exactly what everybody does because you look at people in poverty from pity. The minute you do that, you lose the ability to provide dignity.’ That changed everything for me,” Gadnis remembers.

He started his new venture, BanQu, the same year, after partnering with a Congolese woman farmer to open up a new bank account. “We went to the bank agent, and he told the woman that he couldn’t bank her because she didn’t have an economic record. So I told her that I could bank her! That is how the name BanQu came about and how the business idea kicked off.” 

”But I can bank you!!”

BanQu provides an economic identity for people using the same blockchain coding that is the basis for virtual currencies such as bitcoin. When using blockchain, everyone who participates in a transaction gets an equal and secured copy of it.

The clients of BanQu are large companies that are buying and sourcing coffee, cacao or jeans from people who live in extreme poverty. Before, the farmer or jean sewer was anonymous, but by using blockchain they are given an economic identity. If there is a transaction, the ‘virtual’ ID of the farmer is notified, and he or she gets a message on their mobile phone, allowing them to prove that they are “bankable” — even if they have never used a computer in their life.

“So when a mother sells her crop to a large brand, she receives a receipt and payment — and, most importantly, dignity. With a text message, she can prove that she is bankable. She can prove that she exists. And that makes all the difference.”

What is crucial in this business is humility, emphasizes Gadnis. “We don’t say that we’ve pulled people out of poverty. That would be very arrogant. We just say that we are enabling paths out of extreme poverty.”

”We need to break the cycle of extreme poverty.”

BanQu mostly works with farmers, but increasingly, it provides refugees with records of their education or work history. The BanQu platform connects “the last mile to the global economy,” says Gadnis, “the poorest farmers and laborers — and refugees. Our quest is to support the most vulnerable and marginalized in breaking the cycle of extreme poverty, those who have been in a camp for 20 years with no future and being unbanked.”

BanQu is one of the founding members of RME Network. Gadnis expects to collaborate with universities and not-for profit-organizations worldwide to create and expand educational opportunities for refugees and forced migrants. “We are at a critical crossroads in human history where disparity, discrimination, and forced migration continue to rise,” he says. “We need to do something concrete and meaningful to remedy this. We have to enable refugees to have opportunities like the rest of us do so that they can participate equally in the global economy. The RME Network is one such concrete initiative, and we are glad to be part of it.”

”We have to enable refugees to have opportunities like the rest of us do.”

So far, more than 70,000 people have been supported by BanQu, and the hope is to help 200,000 more this year. Ultimately, Gadnis’ goal for BanQu is to increase that number to millions of people within the next five years.

Ashish Gadnis was a keynote speaker at the international conference of RME Network on “Global Initiatives in Refugee and Migrant Education”, which took place at Manhattan College, New York City, November 15-17, 2018. 

For more on Ashish Gadnis and BanQu, please see IG World, Raconteur, this video by Anheuser-Busch, one of BanQu’s clients, visit BanQu.co  — or simply contact Ashish directly on ashish.gadnis@banquapp.com.

If you want to support the work of RME Network, or if you are a university or not-for-profit-organization working in the field of migration or education for and about refugees, and would like to become a member or collaborate, please get in touch.

Editor’s note: Parts of this blog post were first published on cruxnow.com on 13 November 2018. It has been modified for the website of RME Network with the kind approval of its author, Dr Paulina Guzik.

How can universities and NGOs best work together? — Just one of the questions that the speakers of the first plenary session on the third and final day of the RME Network conference tried to explore.

For Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service USA, there is a huge potential for partnerships, but it is not an easy task, she admits. “We have to acknowledge that we have different interests. There is an overlap though, so we have to look at ways to work together,” she said, “and the best way is in programs that are at the heart of universities: providing education.”

Doing research in areas like, for example, feasibility, evaluation, monitoring, learning, best practices, innovation or the markets, as well as advocacy, are equally important fields where collaboration between universities and NGOs can create a win-win situation.

Rosenhauer stressed, however, that the needs of the refugees should, at all times, be at the core of any partnership. “Refugees are committed to education but they don’t have the luxury to get it for its own sake. They have to make a livelihood.” It is therefore crucial for universities and NGOs to reflect on which educational programs they design and offer to refugees in order to support them in building a life for themselves.

In his response, Dr. Stephen Rasche, Vice Chancellor at the University of Erbil in Iraq, found clear words: “Academia walks too slowly when it comes to migrants and refugees. (…) It is about getting on the ground and doing something,” he called upon the universities. “Move! Don’t just sit there and discuss and research (…) while the world is blowing up around you!” For Rasche, the sponsoring of students and sharing of relevant research are two main areas that are crucial in terms of universities’ involvement in contributing to tackling the refugees’ crisis. “There is no better investment than to support students to get a degree and then being able to go back home to support their country,” he said.

The workshop theme of the last conference day was “Research and Action”. Dr. Georgette Bennett, Founder of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees, called upon universities to take on three challenges: to identify the fears and misconceptions about Syrian refugees, to respond with facts, supported by evidence-based research, and to commit to academic and personal action, e.g. undertaking research and taking tangible steps to assist Syrian refugees at their institutions. In an inspiring talk, she encouraged universities to help eliminate the “three great fears”: the fear of negative economic impact, the fear of terrorism and Islamophobia. Research shows that there is no basis for those fears. “We can overcome these fears with the right kind of messaging,” Bennett said, “Policymakers need data, but it is stories that move the public opinion.”

The RME Network conference in New York City was concluded by a keynote on expanding the social responsibility of universities given by Dr. Anthony Cortese, Co-Founder of the Intentional Endowment Network. “It is part of our social responsibility to help others“, he said. For Cortese, it is crucial to “teach broad sustainability on the campus (…) and to produce education and knowledge to create a sustainable world.”

The conference might be over, but the practical work in and beyond the Refugee & Migrant Education Network has just begun. We would like to thank the speakers and all participants of our 2019 conference for their contributions, inspiring talks and powerful messages, and look forward to working with you in the future on turning hopes into realities.

More voices of Day 3

“Everywhere I go, I find refugees that are anxious to get an education.”

“Advocacy is a critical task that universities can take on.”

“We need a clear understanding of how we want to overcome challenges. If we achieve this, we can save lives.”
Joan Rosenhauer

“Be effective early!”

“We need to ask ourselves critically: Are we really solving the problem?”
Dr. Stephen Rasche

“We don’t have leadership at the top, so we need bottom-up pressure.”
Dr. Georgette Bennett

After a snowy night and morning in New York City, the second day of the international conference of the RME Network kicked off with a roundtable on best practices of refugee education. Chaired by Dr. Michele Pistone, a Professor of Law from Villanova University, academic experts presented their programs for refugee and migrant students, either based on campus or offside.

For Dr. Michael Ondaatje from the Australian Catholic University any “investment in people is a good investment.” The Thai/Burma program at ACU was set up in 2003 and “the opportunities that come out of it are mind-boggling,” he says. To make a larger impact, however, it is crucial for Ondaatje that universities partner with other institutions.

Dr. Michael Ondaatje, Australian Catholic University

Presenting the concept and impact of the online courses at Jesuit Worldwide Learning, Armando Borja stated that only “blended learning allows to make education accessible for students in refugee camps.” He did point out, though, that in order to make education scalable, mutual accreditation and credentials are a must.

Armando Borja, Jesuit Worldwide Learning

Dr. Kerry Bystrom presented the Program for International Education and Social Change (PIESC) run at Bard College Berlin. More than 10 Percent of the currently 300 enrolled students are refugees, and the program has made a huge and positive difference to their community.“We are so lucky to take Syrian refugees who are locked out of the US education system by current migration policies,“ said Bystrom. “This program is also an opportunity to rethink how we teach and what kind of knowledge is valuable to our students” — something that all their students benefit from.

Dr. Kerry Bystrom, Bard College Berlin

When Dr. Michele Pistone took the floor herself, she told the audience how angry she was “at a system that is built for failure”. So she decided to design the first-ever university-based, certificate-based program to train non-lawyers to become immigrant advocates and support immigrants in court. “The lack of access to justice has troubled me for years,” said Pistone — and when she saw an opportunity to shift the ratio of demand and supply for legal services in favor of immigrants, she acted.

Dr. Michele Pistone, Villanova University

In the following keynote on the UN Global Compacts, Kevin Appleby, Senior Director of International Migration Policy at the Center for Migration Studies of New York, laid out the process of how this “historical document”, as he calls it, was developed and adopted. Appleby has since remained critical about it. For him “it is a framework that advocates can use to hold nations accountable to a certain standard to treat migrants.” But the implementation remains unclear due to the legally unbinding character of the documents. In this context, Appleby stretched the important role of the civil society including universities in implementing the Global Compacts because those institutions have the ability to influence their governments. It is crucial, he said, to educate on the Compacts and their importance as a multilateral framework for migration governance.

 Kevin Appleby, Center for Migration Studies of New York

Dr. Rolf Lofstad started the afternoon sessions by outlining the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) developed by the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education. It aims to identify and present refugees’ qualifications in a standardized and structured document. “Refugees want to be seen and heard,” said Lofstad. “We have the methodology. We have a product. It works.”

Dr. Rolf Lofstad, Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education

The last keynote address of the day was by Archbishop Bernardito Auza. He reminded the conference participants of the moral and ethical responsibilities of universities in response to the global realities of migrants and refugees. With his inspiring talk of what is expected from academic institutions — research, education and social advocacy —, he set the tone for the panel responses. Rabbi Marc Kline from the Monmouth Reform Temple underlined his belief that “if we don’t share what’s at stake, who can? And when we decide to ignore or belittle people, it will affect all of us.” Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, who is deeply involved in interfaith work both as a professor and as the director for the Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, closed the panel by calling on the society not to “reject the crisis, but to lend a hand to solve it. If you aren’t to accept strangers, then aren’t we strangers ourselves?”

The full speech of Archbishop Bernardito Auza can be found here.

Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, and Rabbi Marc Kline
(from left to right)

The day was accentuated by workshops on best practices of Teaching and Social Responsibility, two areas that the RME Network has established as focal points of their work.

The plenary sessions were wrapped by Dr Paulina Guzik who presented the idea of a human aspect when building the Refugee & Migrant Education Network: “Universities are places where future leaders are being educated. They have to know who refugees are, and they have to advocate for them. We, as university professors are at the frontline of this task.” She ended her talk with summarising the vision of the network: “RMEnetwork.org is the hub where we share ideas and give birth to a hope. If only one migrant or refugee gets higher education thanks to this connection, then that is turning hopes into realities for us.”

Dr. Paulina Guzik, Refugee & Migrant Education Network/Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow

Videos of best practices presented at the conference by universities can be found here.

More voices from Day 2:

“The diploma is more than just a pathway. It means a change of history, for the students and for their families.”

“Talent is universal. Opportunities are not“

“We believe in education as a bigger purpose. “

Dr. Michael Ondaatje

“Learning English has become a catalyst for education.”

“Education changes and transform lives.”

Armando Borja

“The world has to be a whole; all of it!”

“Universities have to provide the skills, so people can learn to be secure in their home, or their new home.”

“Repair the world; and when it happens it will be for all of us and not only for some.”

Rabbi Marc Kline

“Accepting refugees in our classrooms is not accepting refugees, it is accepting students. We have to think about it as a normality.”

Dr. Paulina Guzik

Videos from Day 2 :

1/ Roundtable on Refugee and Migrant Education
Moderator: Prof. Michele Pistone (Villanova University)
Responders: Dr. Kerry Bystrom (Bard College Berlin), Armando Borja (JWL), Dr. Michael Ondaatje (Australian Catholic University)

2/ Teaching Non-Lawyers to Become Immigrant Advocates

Prof. Michele Pistone (Villanova University)

3/  The Global Compacts and the Challenge for Universities

Kevin Appleby (The Center for Migration Studies of New York)

4/ Workshop sessions

Keeping Refugee Girls in School

Fr. Michael Smith (Jesuit Refugee Service), Dr. Tina M. Facca Miess (Jesuit Worldwide Learning)

Teaching About Refugees

Dr. Andrew Rasmussen (Fordham University), Dr. Brinton Lykes (Center for Human Rights), Dr. Luisanna Sardu (Manhattan College)

5/ The Recognition of Degrees: The European Passport Model

Rolf Lofstad (Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education)

6/ The Moral and Ethical Responsibilities of Universities in Response to the Global Realities of Migrants and Refugees

Archbishop Bernardito Auza
Panel Responses: Chair: Fr. René Micallef, SJ (Pontifical Gregorian University), Dr. Mehnaz Afridi, (Manhattan College), Rabbi Marc Kline (Monmouth Reform Temple)

Refugee & Migrant Education Network

Dr. Paulina Guzik (Pontifical University of John Paul II Krakow)

7/ 2nd Workshop session — videos coming soon…

Student Engagement on Refugee and Migrant Issues: Best Practices, Riccardo Buono and Manhattan College Students

Universities at the Service of Refugees and Migrants: Financial Issues and Resource Allocation

Here are a few examples from the University of San Francisco, the Australian Catholic University and Bard College Berlin, as well as a testimony of Jesuit Worldwide Learning (JWL) graduate Innocent Tshilombo who works on startup programmes in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya.

Founded in Rome in 2017, the RME Network aims to become a global platform of dynamic cooperation between its members supporting refugees and migrants in any living condition, be it in a refugee camp or a hosting country, to obtain and build on their education.  

Extending words of welcome, Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, President of the Being the Blessing Foundation and Co-Founder of RME Network, pointed out that the refugee crisis “is the fundamental crisis of our times. But it is not only about rescuing refugees, but also about rescuing ourselves and our humanity. We have to ask ourselves how can we use our gifts and skills as educators to create a world that we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.” Dr. Brennan O’Donnell, President at Manhattan College and host of the conference, welcomed the participants and stretched the obligation and responsibility for universities to help those in need.

Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, President of being the Blessing Foundation and Initiator of the RME Network

In his keynote address on the perspectives of the global refugee realities, Dr. Stephen Rasche, Vice Chancellor of the Catholic University in Erbil, Iraq, called on universities to not assume “that moving away from their home countries might be the best solution. It might not be. Universities have to understand the reality the students have to deal with. Don’t assume they are good to go. Their situation is drastically underestimated.”

Dr. Stephen Rasche, Vice Chancellor Catholic University in Erbil, Iraq

Ashish Gadnis, Founder and CEO of BanQu, a for-profit/for-purpose software company then talked about the power and opportunities of blockchain technology to lift people out of poverty. In a vivid talk, he moved the audience by telling the story of a mother who told him that her children can now go to school because she exists in the supply chain.

Ashish Gadnis, Co-Founder and CEO of BanQu

Wrapping up the day, Dr. Paulina Guzik, member of the organizing committee of the RME conference, reminded the audience that we can’t talk refugee and migrant education without having refugees and migrants in the room. She invited three testimonies to share their powerful stories of fleeing their home countries but in the end being able to create a new future thanks to the education they received.

An inspiring first conference day of the RME Network has come to an end with more best practices being shared and discussed tomorrow.  

Participants of the RME Conference at Manhattan College

More voices from Day 1:

“Children should not reach milestones in detention centres.”
Yadira Vieyra — Mexican immigrant who came to the US with her parents at the age of four.

“What they have given me, I wish could also be given to others.”
Naouras Mousa Almata — Refugee from Syria who was one of five refugees receiving a scholarship to study at Manhattan College.

“We are living in a camp, but this is not where our lives will end.”
Innocent Tshilombo — Refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo who has, for the last 10 years, been living in the Kakuma camp in Kenya where he got the opportunity to finish a full degree course facilitated by Jesuit Worldwide Learning.

“This network is about humans beings doing good out of our sense for common humanity.”
Dr. Anthony J. Cernera 

“Educate not only the heads but also the hearts!”
Fr. René Micallef, SJ 

“We are not here to get credit but to change lives.”
Dr. Paulina Guzik

Videos from Day 1:

1/ Opening

Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, Dr. Brennan O‘Donnell

2/ Keynote Address

Dr. Stephen Rasche (Catholic University of Erbil)

3/ Keynote Adress

Ashish Gadnis (BanQu)

4/ Refugee Voices

Yadira Vieyra, Nouras Moussa Almata, Innocent Tshilombo

5/ Refugee & Migrant Education Network

Dr. Anthony J. Cernera, Dr. Paulina Guzik, Fr. René Micallef, SJ