Episode #166: Empowering Displaced Persons and Refugees to Become Online Language Teachers and Tell Their Stories Across the World with Aline Sara

Episode Summary

Aline Sara takes us on her journey growing up in a Lebanese immigrant family in New York and reflects on how her family’s experience in Beirut during the civil war shaped her passion for international human rights and conflict resolution.  She shares her extensive world travel experiences through Lebanon, Syria and Turkey, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Matt and Aline talk about the international solidarity dynamics among oppressed people around the world, in countries ranging from South Africa to Chile to Ireland.  Aline then talks about her experience working as a journalist in the Middle East during the Arab Spring.  She explains how the Syrian refugee crisis was the main inspiration for founding NaTakallam as a language learning social enterprise.  She explains the mission is to empower displaced persons and refugees to work as online language teachers, regardless of their location and status, and to virtually pair them with students who are also interested in hearing their stories.  Aline talks about how she scaled NaTakallam, how she finds and hires the teachers, and shares some examples of their lives prior to being displaced.  She also talks about the customer experience, the expansion of NaTakallam’s service offerings, and explains how it provides an opportunity for refugees and displaced people to tell their stories across the world, and to build bridges across cultures.  FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT www.TheMaverickShow.com

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What You'll Learn
  • How NaTakallam empowers displaced persons and refugees to become location independent freelancers, regardless of their status or location
  • How you can learn languages online and from teachers who have fled conflict and stood up to regimes.
  • How to found, scale and manage an international social enterprise
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CONNECT WITH ALINE

Time Stamped Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

[3:30] Growing up in New York in a Lebanese Immigrant Family

[6:17] Developing her Passion for International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution

[8:52] Experiences in Lebanon and Syria

[12:41] Traveling in Sub-Saharan Africa

[20:52] Traveling in South America

[25:29] Becoming a Journalist in the Middle East During the Arab Spring

[31:59] Founding NaTakallam as a Language Learning Social Enterprise

[38:06] Scaling NaTakallam from the initial Pilot Program in Beirut

[42:50] Choosing the Name “NaTakallam”

[45:09] The Background of the Teachers at NaTakallam

[46:54] NaTakallam’s Hiring Process

[47:43] The Customer Experience Learning Languages with NaTakallam

[48:53] The Scope of Services Offered by NaTakallam

[52:27] The Lightning Round

[56:58] Contact Aline

lady with a warm smile

Aline Sara

Aline Sara is the co-founder and CEO of NaTakallam, an award-winning social enterprise that turns displaced persons and refugees into location-independent freelancers by hiring them as online tutors, teachers and translators, and then pairing them with online learners from around the globe.  With nearly 80 million displaced people in the world today – many of them skilled professionals who left behind their careers and are now restricted from working locally in their new host country — NaTakallam empowers them to earn remote income from anywhere, regardless of their location & status, and regain the support, dignity, & opportunities they deserve.  Natakallam has been patronized by over 10,000 learners and clients from over 100 countries, and has distributed millions of dollars in self-earned income to displaced persons and refugees and their host-communities.

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