Mustafa Ibrahimi left Afghanistan in 2014. He was not running toward something. He was running from danger. Like most people who end up as refugees, he left suddenly, with little certainty about what comes next.
What came next, for Mustafa, was more than ten years in Indonesia. A month in Bogor. Transfer to Manado, where around 280 people shared a house built for a third of that number. Then 33 months in a refugee camp in Tanjung Pinang. Then years of uncertain waiting in a country where refugees have limited legal status and no clear domestic pathway to permanent settlement.
In February 2026, that decade of waiting ended. Mustafa departed for Australia, accepted by a company to work as a stonemason. He described the day as one of the most emotional of his life.
“I felt both happiness and deep sadness at the same time,” he wrote. “Happy because a new chapter was beginning. Sad because I had to say goodbye to friends who had shared many years of hardship with me.”
His story is not typical. Most refugees in Indonesia do not have a story that ends this way, at least not yet. But it illustrates what labor mobility, at its best, can make possible: a dignified pathway forward for people who have spent years in uncertainty.
For YCWS, labor mobility is part of a broader commitment to supporting refugee self-reliance and expanding pathways toward dignity and future opportunity. While humanitarian assistance remains essential, long-term solutions also require opportunities for refugees to use their skills, contribute meaningfully, and rebuild their lives.
The Problem Labor Mobility Is Trying to Address
Indonesia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention. Refugees in Indonesia face significant restrictions on access to formal employment and long-term settlement opportunities. Many depend on humanitarian assistance while waiting for resettlement processes that have become increasingly limited and slow.
The result is prolonged uncertainty. Many refugees have spent years, and in some cases more than a decade, waiting without a clear pathway forward. Yet throughout this period, they continue to bring professional experience, technical skills, and aspirations that remain largely untapped.
Labor mobility is not a complete solution to these structural challenges. However, it offers one complementary pathway that can connect skilled refugees with legal employment opportunities in countries where work-based migration pathways are available.
How YCWS Approaches Labor Mobility
Since 2024, YCWS has supported labor mobility as part of its broader refugee protection and assistance work. The initiative is implemented in partnership with Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), an organization that connects skilled refugees with employers around the world.
YCWS’s role focuses on outreach, information-sharing, candidate support, and protection-sensitive communication throughout the process.
Community outreach activities have been conducted in Jakarta, Bogor Regency, Cisarua, Makassar, Medan, Ciputat, and South Tangerang, alongside online sessions that are accessible to refugees across Indonesia. These activities help refugees understand available pathways, eligibility requirements, and the realities of the process.
YCWS also supports candidates in preparing documentation, navigating administrative requirements, and making informed decisions about participation. A key part of this work is expectation management. Labor mobility is presented as one possible pathway, not a guaranteed outcome.
