Tens of thousands of Iraqis, Syrians and Afghans passed through here, heading for the Hungarian or Croatian border, hoping to get to Germany or Austria. [...] The vast majority left were young men and boys from Afghanistan and Pakistan. And the game of choice to pass the time in the refugee camps was cricket.

On a dirt path that passes for a street in a Kenyan refugee camp, a merchant sells grains he bought from a local farmer outside the settlement. To call it an “economy” would be euphemistic, but it’s a living, and it’s enough to support his wife and two children — a family he’s built since arriving at the camp over a decade ago. [...] Mastercard and Western Union have spent the past year studying the needs of these international camps-turned-cities.

The ubiquity of access to personal technology among contemporary refugees is an opportunity for innovation in refugee education. Phones can provide access to resources, information, languages, curriculum, and more. Tech companies have flooded this space with possibility—new apps, online learning portals, libraries. But, often lost in this rush to help, the best ideas may start very simply and originate within refugee communities.

To improve the standard of living in refugee camps, a high-level of engagement must be on the table. Stefani Mikov and Emir Üçer, two young Turkish engineers from the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC), have come up with long-term answers to improving the lives of these temporary guests, whose socioeconomic problems are turning out to be more permanent.

For fashion entrepreneur Monica Phromsavanh, the pathway to success started in the camp for Laotian refugees in Argentina where she was born and spent her first years. She was a hard charger even as a child, never letting poverty or family difficulties discourage her. She came to the United States at 17, worked for upscale clothing retailers and rose rapidly up the management ladder, helped by mentors impressed by her keen sense of style and business acumen.

“With the advent of blockchain becoming on stream, we saw its potential in 2010 and 2011,” Thompson said. “You could have something that could intermediate in the distribution of the international aid with full traceability.” In 2012, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke about the seriously worrying levels of aid corruption globally.

While working for a Turkish tech firm, Akil learned how to program for mobile phones, and decided to make a smartphone app to help Syrians get all the information they need to build new lives in Turkey. In early 2014, he and a friend launched Gherbtna, named for an Arabic word referring to the loneliness of foreign exile. [...] “Our ultimate dream for Gherbtna is to reach all refugees around the world, and help them.”