9. True story
‘Creating a quality Slovenian language teaching program is definitely the best way to support migrants and refugees to integrate well, find jobs and become more independent’ (Wafa from Palestine, 41 years old).
The BODE (#BrezOvirDoEnakosti) project, which we run together with ADRA Slovenia, is committed to empowering people with a migrant background in the field of advocacy, as they often don’t get the right opportunity to present their side of the story. This time, however, it is different – by sharing real stories, we are fighting against the prejudice that migrants are not educated or skilled enough to participate equally and qualitatively in the progress of society in Slovenia.
This is Wafa’s story…
Wafa has a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a professional diploma in project management and fundraising. She has been living in Slovenia for some time with her husband and two children, as they were looking for more security and a more stable life due to living in Gaza and the emergency situation in the city as well as the country.
”The military offensives that have destroyed the infrastructure in Gaza have affected all aspects of life and essential services, including access to food, drinking water, education, electricity, fuel, etc… There are many restrictions on movement in and out of the city. For the last few years, I have been working as a Community Programme Manager for a UK-based international organization in their Gaza/Palestine field office. The program supports Palestinian refugees and provides access to basic services and trauma relief.”
Wafa, after arriving in Slovenia, successfully integrated into the community in a short period of time, learned about the system and the laws and passed her first language exam. However, she feels that language is the biggest barrier to integration for immigrants.
”I always encourage my children to speak Slovenian regularly and to participate in school activities. They are hardworking and have friends, which is very important. But I think that creating a strong quality Slovenian language teaching program will definitely be the best way to support migrants and refugees to integrate well, find a job and become more independent. Raising the awareness of the local population in the area of migration, which would provide more support to new arrivals, would be very successful and effective in my opinion.”
We are fighting stereotypes, discrimination, and prejudice. It is important to stand together for social justice, equal treatment, and opportunities for all members of our society. Let’s be tolerant, friendly, and open to new faces, new acquaintances, and opportunities for people to surprise us positively as great employees, talented individuals, or just loyal friends. Although different, we are all equal.
More about the stories and the project:
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𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 “𝑩𝑶𝑫𝑬/𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒛 𝑶𝒗𝒊𝒓 𝑫𝒐 𝑬𝒏𝒂𝒌𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒊” 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑪𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝑭𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝑺𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐 – 𝒕𝒐 𝑵𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐.
