It is time to act for SDG 8 in favor of women, whether they are migrants or living in their country of origin.
Decent work for migrant women is possible today thanks to the Migrantinnen einfach stark im Alltag (MIA) Women empowerment project.
Personal development and decent work for all women, especially migrant women, is the social dimension that is now taken into account by the MDG 8. This sustainable development goal essentially aims at promoting sustained, shared and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Unfortunately, the disparities that women face in the search for employment continue to grow.
Indeed, wanting to work but lacking the opportunity to showcase one’s skills or lacking the necessary tools to value one’s achievements, especially in a foreign country, are among the situations that are becoming more and more frequent among migrant women. The over-feminization of underemployment does not help this situation either, which is further accentuated by the over-representation of women in underemployment.
Moreover, the language barrier, which is also a problem, hinders the professional integration of migrant women who, in search of a better life, leave their country and settle in a foreign country. It is well known that a multilingual woman would be more competitive on the job market than one who can hardly speak a single language. Mastering German in Germany as a host country and expressing oneself well in English are no longer options but rather an obligation in a host country where German is the first language and where English is prioritized in international communications.
In view of all these difficulties that women face in finding their place in the professional world, the international non-profit organization MEINE WELT e.V. and the initiative PLACE for Africa with the support of Academia Española de Formación e.V. have set themselves the goal of strengthening the potential of migrant women and encouraging them to shape their lives confidently in Germany through the Migrantinnen einfach stark im Alltag (MIA) Women empowerment program.
The MIA courses support migrant women who decide to settle in Germany. They are thus introduced to social life and receive information relevant to everyday life, e.g. about the functioning of the school and the education system in Germany. In addition, these courses provide training in job search topics, improving language skills to enable these women to pursue their own professional prospects. Language promotion is linked to the course topics, often explicitly. The learning content of the courses is very flexible and adapted to the individual needs of the participants.
MiA courses also include practical workshops and excursions to allow participants to experience first-hand the skills they have learned in the theoretical courses.
On November 15, 2021, 50 women boarded the ship for a two-month long journey filled with experience sharing, training modules and field visits.
To strengthen and perpetuate this solidarity and the bond created between these women, a forum for discussion and exchange has been set up on the ZAMAN community, a social networking platform that offers these women a virtual space where they can meet and discuss the program’s achievements and practical ways of implementing the new knowledge acquired. The experts engaged to monitor and coach these women provide them with the necessary training materials to help them continue the activities offline and upload to the group for exchange with other project participants.
MeineWelt e.v. through the MIA Women empowerment program offers women a virtual space for collective learning, opportunity sharing and networking, enabling migrant women to make a place for themselves in the professional world.
By Idoxine AHOUMENOU