Dukkan Freelance Working Platform was launched on June 24, 2021 on the occassion of the World Refugee Day observed on June 20 every year with an event informing all relevant actors on the newly established freelance working platform developed by UNDP Turkey and UNDP Bangladesh with the technical support of the Migrant Nation Foundation. Participants of the event were invited to join Dukkan as freelancers, clients, or solution partners to support the platform activities.

The Syrian crisis has forced thousands of Syrian professionals with digital skills to leave their homeland. Global prospects expect an exponential increase in the number of displaced people due to drives such as armed conflicts and climate change. Access to decent livelihood opportunities constitutes a vital challenge for displaced people. Being deprived of adequate work opportunities results in undesirable consequences regarding access to fundamental human rights, including education, nutrition, and shelter.

On the other hand, there is an ever-growing global digital market promising job opportunities for every individual with basic and advanced digital skills. The digital economy eliminates the limitations of time and location of traditional work arrangements. Having access to technology does not necessarily mean the possession of a computer. Smartphones also enable people to complete a great myriad of tasks, and a stable internet connection is the new capital to enter the gates of digital freelance works.

Inspired by the facts of the current age, the Dukkan Freelance Working Platform is developed within the “COVID-19 Resilience and Response Project” funded by the Government of Japan. UNDP Turkey and Bangladesh Country Offices have implemented the platform with the technical support of the Migrant Nation Foundation to create and facilitate digital livelihoods opportunities to the refugees with Arabic literacy and basic and advanced computer skills. Thanks to the variety of the freelance jobs to be offered by the platform, persons with basic computer skills could also benefit from the platform. Women and persons with disabilities will be among the target groups for the platform.

Dukkan performs dually as a freelance platform and an aggregator platform of widely used global freelancing sites. World-wide known freelancer sites such as Fiverr, Guru, and PeoplePerHour have already agreed to collaborate with Dukkan. Clients all around the world can direct their projects to Dukkan to find talented Arabic-speaking professionals. Widely used payment gateways will guarantee safe, secure, and easy payment both for companies and freelancers. Dukkan advisers follow up on the projects and supervise the freelancers to ensure timely and successful delivery. The chat module allows smooth communication between the freelancer and the client.

Syrian freelancers living in Turkey are encouraged to join Dukkan to provide digital services in their area of expertise. Clients from the globe, specifically from Arabic-speaking countries, are invited to find their new employees in a few seconds.

Join Dukkan and be part of an initiative for people on the move that will grow from local to global!