Prince Harry Honors Usman Iftikhar For Helping Australian Refugees Start Businesses

Prince Harry recently honored Usman Iftikhar, an Australian refugee ambassador, for all the work he has done to help those who are just like him.

On Monday, Iftikhar was also named as Commonwealth Young Person of the Year at a ceremony in London. He has helped Australian refugees start their own businesses and find jobs.

Iftikhar also happens to be the co-founder of Catalysr, a service that provides refugees and other migrants with mentoring, networking, and financial connections so they can turn a business idea into a reality. The service was inspired by his life experiences.

In 2013, Iftikhar arrived in Australia from Pakistan with a degree in engineering. However, he had a hard time getting employed.

“This was almost out of my own frustration of not being able to cut through the system. A lot of people find meaning in their life through their work,” he said.

Upon accepting his award, Iftikhar gushed over the opportunity of meeting Prince Harry. He also said that he did not expect to be recognized by the prince himself.

“I did not expect that. I was literally standing there thinking ‘this is a parallel universe, I’m not here!’” he said.

The 27-year-old ambassador for Australian refugees also shared some information about the kind of job that they do.

We’ve been running for only 18 months, but so far we’ve helped 66 people. They range all the way from an Egyptian food truck, to someone who is trying to print 3D diamonds. We don’t tell people what to do. We find a problem they’re trying to fix their business, then help them with mentoring and capital to help it become a reality,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry just embarked on his first official task as the new head of the Youth Commonwealth. He was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II last week. Prince Harry will also be working closely with Meghan Markle, and the royal couple will be traveling to Commonwealth nations inside and outside the United Kingdom.

“My duty will be to ensure that your ideas, concerns, thoughts, and hopes are heard,” Prince Harry said.