Arisha Akbar is REFUNITE’s Project Manager for our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution and call centre in Pakistan. She joined REFUNITE in June 2017 and spent a week in Nairobi to familiarise herself with the team and get ready for her work in Pakistan. Welcome to the team Arisha!

From Pakistan to Kenya: My first two weeks at REFUNITE

Arisha, can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I have an infectious passion for technology and can be found reading articles on digital developments in Pakistan in my spare time. I’m passionate about traveling and discovering new places and love reading travel blogs.

What brings you to REFUNITE?

In my years of work with Telenor Pakistan I have been supporting the management team. With Telenor, I worked with international and local partners and was able to develop a strong understanding of how tech products work. I became obsessed with the idea of putting technology to good use and to give back to society. REFUNITE allows me to combine my passion of pursuing ambitions in the tech field along with making a positive impact.

What are you most passionate about this new project?

Pakistan hosts second the largest refugee population globally and has over 1.5 million Internally Displaced People (IDPs) scattered in different provinces all over the country. Using all my skills and capabilities, I want to act as the beacon of hope to reconnect people and help them find the missing links. During the onboarding I was also fortunate enough to witness a live reconnection which was an absolutely touching moment for me and which has solidified my resolve for this mission.

How were your first weeks at REFUNITE?

My first few days at REFUNITE were really engaging! Collaboration is at the heart of REFUNITE and I witnessed this closely while working in the Nairobi office. I am really pleased to have such a wonderful team of talented people to work with and I am absolutely thrilled to begin my REFUNITE journey in Pakistan.

15th June 2017.