Alight

Alight exists to walk alongside those who – by sheer circumstance – find themselves on the long and arduous journey of displacement. Each year Alight serves 3.5 million people in over 20 countries who have been displaced by climate, conflict, and social and economic exclusion. We listen closely to their voices, gathering insights that allow us to provide innovative human-centered services and programs. By co-creating alongside displaced people we can ensure that we are meeting their needs and moving beyond necessities to build lives that are full of joy, connection, and purpose.

Over 89 million people are displaced globally, this humanitarian crisis will continue to grow due to

Goal One: Alight will move from inconsistent use of participatory program design tools to consistent use of co-creation, human-centered design, and quantitative and qualitative insights to inform all programs.

Goal Two: Alight will move from a broader focus on fragile states to focusing on populations forcibly displaced (by conflict, climate, and/or mass social and economic exclusion) as our core customers.

Goal Three: Alight will seek to significantly increase private funding to allow for the delivery of more comprehensive and higher quality programs, unrestricted by the constraints of institutional funding.

Globally Alight introduced several growth & development opportunities this year specifically supporting 170 Country Directors, Country Senior Leadership Teams & emerging leaders, as well as our US/Roving team Managers. The offerings centered on management and inclusion skills development. In June, Alight provided an additional thirty teammates from around the world with the opportunity to take part in a Borderless Leadership Development program. Alight committed to investing in development across the organization and partnered with LifeLabs Learning to launch this program. The Borderless Leadership Development program provided participants with practical tools and techniques throughout a five-session series. The sessions focused on adaptivity, resilience, influential communication, feedback skills, productivity, prioritization, and career growth. The program was successful in continuing to cultivate a shared understanding and culture of leadership at Alight.

With the sudden outbreak of war in Ukraine families began to flee, crossing borders on foot in frigid temperatures, weighed down by their belongings and dealing with unimaginable trauma. Before the war Alight did not have a presence in Europe, but we quickly mobilized a crisis response team to meet displaced Ukrainians at the Poland/Ukraine border. In the U.S, Alight began large fundraising campaigns to supply medicine, medical supplies, and food shipments to hospitals, bomb shelters, and orphanages in Ukraine. Alight also provided winter weather essentials, sanitary supplies, mobility assistance and outdoor heaters for those waiting to cross the border each day. By utilizing the insights of Kuja Kuja – an Alight subsidiary that collected and analyzed data from Ukrainians crossing the border, we were able to assess their needs. The primary concern for externally displaced Ukrainians was housing, Alight partnered with Airbnb.org to meet that need and created the Alight Guides program to help people navigate what their next move would be. We launched Alightguides.org to recommend the best cities for families to settle in Poland based on Alight’s vetting of housing, employment, and services available to Ukrainians. Additionally, Alight’s Aid2Art program is collaborating with Ukrainian artists and designers to ensure their families have food, shelter, and the services they need by providing a $1,000 cash transfer. The artists are creating and donating works of art for Alight to sell on their behalf. The proceeds of the sales provide further support for the creators and Alight's ongoing relief efforts. At the beginning of 2021 there were no plans to begin an Alight Europe program, but in responding to the crisis, and adapting our response to meet the needs of Ukrainians, Alight now has a strong presence in Poland staffed by Alight Guides who are Ukrainian and Polish.