TOrrivate in Italy from refugees without a job, alone or with their children, without knowing what awaits them. More often than not, then, having educational qualifications not recognized in our country. It is the story of 14 girls who took part in the 2021 edition of the project TF4womancreated by the international non-profit organization Techfugees and designed to help refugee women re-enter the world of work in Italy, France and Greece.
Refugees, tech savvy
In collaboration with the project, the Group Techedgemultinational born in Italy, leader in the design and development of software technologies and consultancy for digital transformation, has opened its doors to group of refugee women from all over Italy to identify who had the technical, technological and theoretical skills necessary to work in the company and offer them a permanent contract, thus helping them to emancipate themselves and get out of a difficult situation.
Unrecognized educational qualifications
“How would you feel if tomorrow you were uprooted by danger and arrived in a new country where you don’t know anyone, whose language you don’t speak and you don’t know anything about customs and culture? What would you do if, despite years of education and experience as a doctor, lawyer, engineer, journalist or teacher in your home country, your only option to move forward was to accept a low-skilled job because your professional background is not recognized? ” comments Joséphine Goube, CEO of Sistech. “Years ago, in Paris, we created a mentoring program aimed at empowering refugee women willing to undertake a professional path in tech or digital jobs where their learning skills and abilities were appreciated. Today we are replicating the model in Italy and I am proud to say that, 6 months into the program, we have successfully connected previously invisible talent with local companies aware of the power of diversity, such as Techedge. We are already working on the second program in Italy with a new brand, Sistech and we look forward to continuing to offer refugee women opportunities on their career in Italy ».
The initiative for refugee women
Starting from May 2021, the free six-month program activated by Techfugees has provided educational and practical knowledge on new technologies, in parallel with individual tutoring and personalized support for job placement in the sector. The main aim of the program is the professional inclusion of women in the technology industry.
“I arrived in Italy from Iran two years and 4 months ago, alone, I didn’t know anyone here – she says Sara, 51 years old – in my country I had a degree in English and I had worked in a bank for 20 years, here I had to resume the middle and high school diploma because the titles were not equal “. After the Techfugees course in Project management, today Sara was hired by Edera, a startup supplier of Techedge that develops software to unite banks with technology providers. “When I was forced to leave my country, I wanted to go to a safe place and an agency got me a tourist visa for Italy – she says. The first six months, however, I went to Germany and tried to get refugee protection there because there were many of my relatives, but the German government sent me back: I was afraid, I was completely alone. After a few hours in Italy, however, I realized that Italians are a kind people and that I was in the right place ».
Melissa, 26, Colombian, arrived in Italy three years ago with her daughter who was then six months old. Today she is the first of the girls who took part in the course to be hired at Techedge: “I have a degree in pedagogy, so when I started the path in Data science I was a bit scared – she says – instead Techfugees and techedge gave me a huge support, it was a very good journey, and the Melissa who started is not what she is now. When you are an asylum seeker you can’t imagine it, but now I understand that I finally have the opportunity to choose and decide what I want to do “. Today Melissa deals with data analysis at Techedge: “It is a wonderful reality that allows you to be a woman, a professional and a mother”.
If the first objective of the Techfugees project is to facilitate the job reintegration of refugee women, the second is to prepare the ground for this entry to be possible. In fact, Techfugees also operates at corporate level in order to improve resilience and preparation within communities and improve the ability to welcome refugee people: it is time for the organization to adapt and prepare, only by building scalable, ethical and sustainable tools has able to face one of the greatest challenges of our century.
The soccer players from Herat who took refuge in Italy
«For me, football is like oxygen. I couldn’t do without it, ”he says Susan, 22, who plays the role of defender and runs like crazy behind the ball. “It’s nourishment for life, like food or water,” echoes 19-year-old midfielder Fatima. Their faces are tired but proud of those who have managed to escape too great a danger, for themselves and their families. The girls of the Herat women’s team were welcomed this year in Florence following the evacuation organized by the non-profit organization Cospetogether with other sportswomen, volleyball players, cyclists and other activists, lawyers, teachers who have come to Italy and are now free to study, play and express themselves.
Passion in Afghanistan and the future
Before the last political crisis and the return of the Taliban regime, the appointment was set for half past five in the morning. They trained early to avoid the heat and not to attract too much attention and because the other hours were reserved for males. There were about twenty, between 16 and 22 years old. All students, they would gather before classes in this large deserted stadium two or three times a week, to train and practice the sport they love more than anything else: football. Around them, was the coach Najibullah Nawrozi, a man with icy eyes and apparently brusque manners, whom the girls adored like a father: he encouraged them to warm up their muscles, to stretch, to jump obstacles and to throw themselves on the ball. They ran, worked and sweated, but had fun.
“It wasn’t the hijab or the long sock that was the problem. Rather, the fact of not being able to play freely. Sometimes it was as if we had to hide », they complain. Everyone dreams today – now that they are safe in Italy – of one day being able to participate in competitive tournaments. To confront other teams. “When we played against Italy it was a lot of fun,” says one of them, showing the photos of the event on her mobile. You are referring to the match they played against the Italian soldiers of the Isaf contingent, inside the Camp Arena base. “It was a day of celebration. Not just because our team won, but because we have shown the world that another Afghanistan is possible»Says Susan again.
The COSPE campaign #Unasolasquadra is aimed at women in Afghanistan, a country in which the NGO has been involved since 2008. The aim of this new initiative is to guarantee all Afghan women protection from violence and respect for their rights. After the return of the Taliban regime, COSPE managed to save the young soccer players from Herat in Italy. With this campaign, COSPE tells their story and invites everyone to take action with a donation – from 24 January to 13 February 2022.
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