ARTICLES, VIDEO, AND MEDIA

"Earlier this year, the Project Bruce team and associated organisations met more than 30 University of Otago social and community work students in a Zoom workshop, to discuss how students could support their projects...University of Otago social and community work lecturer Dr Marissa Kaloga said the voluntary work helped the students learn to combine human-centred design principles and social work skills...."

25 May 2022

STUDY LOOKS AT INCLUSIVITY WITHIN START-UPS

"A study is under way looking at how to make New Zealand’s start-up ecosystem more inclusive for minority groups. University of Otago lecturer Dr Marissa Kaloga is conducting the research and is using Dunedin as the test case..."

28 August 2021

FOCUS ON CITY’S ‘ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM’

"How do you start a small business or take your first steps in an entrepreneurial career? A Dunedin group may have the answer. Dr Marissa Kaloga, of the University of Otago’s social and community work programme, Rasha Abu-Safieh, of the Edmund Hilary Fellowship, and Startup Dunedin are collaborating on community-engaged research about small business supports in Dunedin..."

21 April 2021

SOCIAL WORK ACADEMIC TO HELP FORMER REFUGEES GROW BUSINESSES

"Iti Rearea will launch with its first cohort of participants on 17 April in Auckland. The pilot programme will run for three years. During that time, Marissa will serve on the strategic leadership team, measuring outcomes and designing research to understand the efficacy of the programme and its impacts on family, community, and economy.
Marissa says her work looks beyond specific interventions and instead discusses creating more equitable and inclusive systems that can both “react to and guide what tomorrow will look like...”

27 FEBRUARY 2020

LENDING CIRCLES BREAKS THE COMMON CHALLENGES FOR INDIVIDUALS JOINING THE ECONOMIC MAINSTREAM

(program designed and implemented by Dr. Kaloga) "At ECDI, the Lending Circles program is a way to introduce new refugee and immigrant populations to lending in the U.S. with a familiar model (ROSCAS). Lending Circles combines small business lending and training for entrepreneurs. Self-selected group members meet weekly to discuss their business operations. Each group member receives up to $2,000 through an interest-free business loan that is repaid over 12 months. Training and technical assistance are the other hallmarks of Lending Circles – participants receive small business development support during the entirety of the program."

10 JUIN 2019

DR KALOGA ANIME UNE CONFÉRENCE SUR LA CRÉATION DES ÉCONOMIES DURABLES

Ce 10 juin 2019, la bibliothèque américaine a abrité une conférence animée par Dr Marissa Kaloga sur le thème : « Créer des économies durables et éthiques en Guinée avec l’entreprenariat innovant et inclusif », la conférence a démarré par ces mots de Monsieur le Recteur : « nous sommes en famille ; l’importance du thème de la conférence n’est pas à démontrer : créer des économies durables et éthiques en Guinée est un thème révélateur et fondamental pour l’épanouissement personnel »...

10 october 2018

TIME MAGAZINE NEXT GENERATION LEADERS: CONNECTING YOUNG PALESTINIANS WITH THE WORLD

"Ali, 33, and Rasha Abu-Safieh, 34, are trying to tear down that wall with their startup, ­GGateway. Launched in 2012 as part of the U.N.’s agency for Palestinian refugees, it gets around restrictions on the territory by connecting tech-savvy Gazans to companies with remote working opportunities. They have helped 620 young Gazans build tech-based careers. In May they secured $3 million from the World Bank to turn ­GGateway into a regional hub for the digital economy..."

July 2018

HOW TO DELIVER SOUND SCIENCE IN RESOURCE-POOR REGIONS

Scientists in areas that lack basic provisions — including dependable electricity, water supplies and funding — do research that has a high societal impact. Five people describe the challenges they face.
Rasha Abu Safieh- Choose the positive

31 August 2016

FORBES: 3 LESSONS IN GRIT FROM ENTREPRENEURS IN GAZA

"The unemployment rate for women IT graduates in Gaza is more than 90%. Imagine it. Rasha Abu-Safieh decided to do something about it. Two years ago, she co-founded a program called Gaza Gateway, a fascinating social entrepreneurship model that employs recent graduates -- men and women -- giving them real-world experience, and then moves them out into the IT sector. It had $500,000 in revenue last year, 50% of it donations -- but it already has two clients, a UN agency and an IT company in Dubai, Teg, said Abu-Safieh..."

18 September 2015

UNRWA DEVELOPS CUTTING-EDGE POVERTY ASSESSMENT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY THAT “KNOWS NO BORDERS”

"The talent of the Gaza developers was also acknowledged by Steve Cohn, the head of the New Zealand company Harvest Your Data who said that he had been involved in software development for 30 years and was impressed with how the UNRWA team “needed very little support.” Harvest Your Data worked at concessional rates for the development of the PAS software. “When I understood the business requirements and the situation of the people of Gaza, I wanted to contribute, albeit in a small way,” explained Steve. “Technology is the gateway to all knowledge and it can lead to true change,” said Rasha. “With the PAS software, we have developed the second generation of survey-technology, which could benefit the whole world. It is a great achievement to be part of this process...”