Zakaria Sowe arrived in Germany five years ago. Not least thanks to the support of his integration manager, he is now training to become a geriatric nurse. "It wasn't easy," he admits. When he arrived in Germany in 2016, Zakaria Sowe had a long journey behind him. In his home country of Gambia, he was employed as a communications IT specialist. The politically active member of the opposition party was then arrested by the dictatorship government at the end of 2013. After a month in prison, he decided to leave his home country. Via Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya, he finally arrived in Germany three years later at the initial reception center in Sigmaringen. From there, he was relocated to the district of Ludwigsburg.
He was able to take a German course through a program run by the district administration office, which also included his first internship in a senior citizens' facility. He completed a second internship at Haus Kastanienblüte in Remseck-Hochberg. He stayed there and started his training as a geriatric nurse in 2018. Working with the elderly appealed to him right from the start: "I do my work from the heart and with fun. I want to be just as patient with the senior citizens as many Germans were with me when I barely spoke the language and everything had to be explained to me slowly."
Zakaria Sowe is supported by social workers from Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Ludwigsburg. They provide support with visits to the authorities and everyday problems such as translating and explaining the post. "Mr. Sowe is coping very well now. His training is going well and we are confident that he will complete it with good grades. He now also lives in his own apartment in Remseck," says a delighted Steffen Jillich from the AWO. He would like to stay in Remseck after his training and continue working at Haus Kastanienblüte - but then as a specialist in geriatric care if everything goes well.
Background: The Pact for Integration
Zacharia Sowe has been part of the Integration Management / Pact for Integration since mid-2019. The broad network of Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Caritas, Kreisdiakonieverband, the district association of the German Red Cross and the Ludwigsburg district office is proving to be a fundamental building block for success. This is based on the voluntary participation of the refugees. The basis is the identification of needs in discussions between social workers and refugees. On this basis, concrete goals are jointly formulated. These are set out in writing in an integration plan and worked on gradually. The goals are integration into the local community, connection to the standard care systems and the acquisition of skills to lead an independent life. Once the specific goals have been achieved and the refugee is able to organize their life independently, integration management can be terminated. The refugee can then receive further support from regular services such as migration advice if required.
At the beginning of 2021, 2469 refugees were being looked after in integration management, 970 of whom were minors. 13% of adult clients are in employment subject to social insurance contributions. In addition, four percent are in training, an internship or studying. Integration management has already ended for 1253 people (as at 01.03.2021). Of these, 780 people were able to sign a tenancy agreement and have private accommodation for the first time.
