Robogee by We Are Pi

Millions of refugees flee their home every year seeking a better life. At least half of the 70 million people currently displaced from their homes are children. In the media, refugees are often described as helpless with no future, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. They’re people that have shown enormous resilience and survived challenges few can imagine.

A children’s character is about to change these common negative perceptions, and introduce a new way for people to learn about and engage with the refugee community. This new children’s hero— Robogee — is a curious and smart young robot forced to flee her home planet when danger strikes.

The project is the brainchild of refugee-led NGO Multi-Aid Programs (MAPs) in Lebanon and creative agency, We Are Pi. The character, Robogee, is based on a real robot that was created in 2016 by Team Hope, a group of young refugee engineers who formed a robotics team with support from MAPs. The team landed on the name Robogee because it stood for both “robot” and “refugee”. Since creating Robogee in 2016, Team Hope has gone on to win a number of awards, including the largest robotics competition in the world, to the great acclaim of leading international media.