NEW FACES OF SLOVENIA
Read Moustafa’s story.
Who am I?
I’m Moustafa, a 42-year-old Egyptian architect and BIM developer who has been living in Slovenia for a few years. With 19 years of experience in Egypt, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Europe, I combine architecture with technology and programming. I graduated in architecture in 2004 and later received my master’s degree from the University of Wismar in Germany in 2019.
My career path
My international career started in Egypt, then I moved to Dubai, where I worked in the field of architecture and project management for eight years. At the same time, I completed my master’s degree with an emphasis on sustainable development. My next opportunity was in Slovenia, where I was able to combine my global experience with new professional challenges.
It is important that we do not judge the entire community based on individual bad experiences, but focus on those who support equity and diversity, because they are the ones who move society forward.
Life in Slovenia
Moving to Slovenia was professionally easy, as I had already secured a job in advance. Still, cultural adjustment has been a challenge. One of the memorable experiences was in a café where a stranger loudly harassed my wife in Slovene. Although we didn’t understand the words, the waitress quickly intervened and apologized to us.
Family is important
My greatest pride is my family. My children have access to quality education, extracurricular activities, and are accepted by society, which is a stark contrast to my own childhood.
Challenges and solutions for better integration of newcomers to Slovenia,
according to Moustafa:
- 📌 Language learning: Slovenian is challenging, but crucial for inclusion.
- ✅ Solution: More accessible courses, work-based learning, more community programs.
- 📌 Bureaucracy: Complex procedures for residence and work permits.
- ✅ Solution: Simplification of procedures, multilingual instructions and support centres for migrants.
- 📌 Social Integration: Cultural Differences and Local Restraint
- ✅ Solution: Cultural exchanges, mentoring, inclusive events.
- 📌 Housing issues: Discrimination in renting out housing to foreigners.
- ✅ Solution: Transparent tenancy policies, tenant protection, incentives for landlords.
Let’s fight the stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination. Every individual deserves the opportunity to participate in society on an equal footing. Let’s stand together for a more inclusive and equitable future.
“The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.”
𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 “𝑩𝑶𝑫𝑬/𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒛 𝑶𝒗𝒊𝒓 𝑫𝒐 𝑬𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊” 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝟒𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 – 𝒕𝒐 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓.
You can read more about the BODE+ project HERE.
In cooperation with ADRA, the project is also on this page.
