New Faces of Slovenia

My name is Divin Ngamba and I come from Congo. I spent ten years in Hungary, where I completed a master’s degree in business development. Today I live and work in Slovenia, employed at Stolt Nielsen as an operations team leader.

My path to Slovenia began in 2023, when I was invited to the African Village festival. It was there that I met the woman who is now my wife. We began spending time together, and I later moved to Slovenia. Today we are happily married and have a child.

One of the greatest challenges on arriving in Slovenia was the language. I speak seven languages, so finding myself in a place where I could not understand what was being said was a particularly demanding experience. I set about learning Slovene nonetheless, and have already passed the examination at A1 level.

My family is what gives me the most happiness and motivation today. My life is stable, though I continue to set myself new goals and want to keep moving forward. My work matters a great deal to me as well: I hold a leadership role and manage a team of fifteen people.

Challenges and the inclusion of migrants in Slovenia

Education and inclusion

I believe education is one of the decisive factors in successful integration. On arrival, many migrants concentrate first on finding work so that they can support their families financially. Where they also have access to quality education and further skills, however, they can integrate more readily and on a more lasting basis.

Respect for culture and faith in schools

It seems important to me that schools take account of children’s cultural and religious needs. Culture is part of our identity, our customs and our sense of belonging, and children should not be deprived of it.

I believe integration does not mean a person has to lose their identity. It means they can become an active part of society while remaining connected to their culture and their background.

Through my own story, I want to show that migrants in Slovenia are not only jobseekers: they can take on positions of responsibility and leadership, and contribute actively to society.

My message is a simple one:

• Education for migrants is essential.
• Respect for a person’s culture matters as much as respect for the person.
• No one should be deprived of their identity, their culture or their dignity.

“Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.”