Since 2018, 48 integration managers have been supporting refugees on their way to leading an independent life. In a loose series, we present integration success stories in the district of Ludwigsburg. Today we are focusing on the topics of work and social integration.
For Mohannad Almouhamadi, work, volunteering and integration go hand in hand. The young man, who came to Germany from Iraq, has got to know a lot of people through his voluntary work in various projects and has built up relationships with these people that "mean family to him".
Five years ago, the then 21-year-old fled from Fallujah/Iraq to Germany to escape the Islamic State terrorist militia and applied for asylum at the Federal Office for Refugees and Migration in April 2016. From May 2016 to October 2017, Mr. Almouhamadi lived in a state-run shared accommodation facility run by the district of Ludwigsburg in Sachsenheim. Following the positive decision by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, he was assigned to the follow-up accommodation in Sachsenheim. This allowed the ongoing integration processes in Sachsenheim to continue seamlessly. Until his move at the beginning of January 2021, Mohannad Almouhamadi was accompanied by the refugee social work of the Ludwigsburg District Deaconry Association and supported in all matters relating to coping with everyday life.
Mr. Almouhamadi is now in a private tenancy and is in permanent employment. His plans for the future include completing his A-levels at an evening school and training as a media designer in Germany. The now 26-year-old wants to live in Germany forever, become a German citizen and start a family.
As soon as he arrived, Mohannad Almouhamadi wanted to do something for the society that had taken him in. He volunteered in a project at the primary and secondary school to look after children with refugee and migrant backgrounds in the afternoons. Together with other volunteers, he helped the children with their homework and played soccer with them.
In 2017, Almouhamadi volunteered in the old clothes project and the clothing store in Sachsenheim. There, he sorted clothes and translated for people who had fled their home country and did not yet speak German well enough. In 2017, he was involved in the "Einfach singen" project at the Kulturhaus in Sachsenheim. Here, people from different backgrounds came together to sing songs from their home countries. As a result, 20 to 30 people sang songs together in a foreign language. Mohannad Almouhamadi believes that it is important to get to know different cultures in Germany in order to promote cultural understanding among citizens in society.
In 2019 and 2020, Almouhamadi took part in a cooking project. The project involved cooking and selling typical local dishes. The proceeds were donated to language courses for refugees. In addition to his work, the now well-integrated newcomer translates on a voluntary basis for people who need his help with visits to the authorities and other matters.
Background: The Pact for Integration
The Integration Management / Pact for Integration is a broad network of the Workers' Welfare Association, Caritas, the District Deaconry Association, the District Association of the German Red Cross and the Ludwigsburg District Office. It is based on the voluntary participation of refugees. It is based on 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. Refugees can then receive further support from regular services such as migration advice if required.
At the start of 2021, 2469 refugees were being looked after by Integration Management, 970 of whom were minors. 13 percent 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.
