Rahi Impact
STARTED: 2024 October
Anam Vadgama
Co-founder
SEED GRANT: $117,000
Graham Tyler
Co-founder
Creating a world in which every worker can safely and affordably access global opportunities
Important Update: Rahi Impact was launched to improve labor migration from South Asia to Gulf Cooperation Council countries. They no longer believe this approach will achieve its intended impact and have therefore decided to discontinue it. A detailed report explaining their reasoning is available here. Rahi Impact has since been rebranded to Setuwelt and pivoted towards facilitating migration between South Asia and Europe, specifically targeting the India-Germany corridor. You can learn more about Setuwelt via their website.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERVENTION
India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh collectively send nearly 2.5 million workers abroad annually, primarily low- and mid-skilled workers migrating to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries on temporary contracts.
Most migrants rely on networks of intermediaries to find job opportunities and navigate the migration process. Unfortunately, these intermediaries often charge exorbitant fees, exceeding $3,000 — equivalent to over 2.5 years of wages in the migrant’s home country — forcing many into debt. Fraudulent practices by some intermediaries drive a 28-34% migration failure rate, resulting in crippling financial losses.
Rahi Impact’s mission is to make temporary international labor migration cheaper, safer, and more accessible for workers from low- and middle-income countries, empowering migrants and their families to break free from poverty.