Practical
examples - Asylum seekers
A long journey - A safe harbour
12 December 2006,
around 20.00 in the evening. The atmosphere in the meeting room on the top floor
of a luxury hotel in Malta is nervous but at the same time festive and
exhilarated. Around forty men and women, but mainly men, are slightly hesitant
to sit down on the seats placed in rows in front of a small podium. They greet
each other, admire the impressive sea view, say hi to their teachers and make
jokes with the social workers. They are asylum seekers from all over the world,
but mainly from African countries such as Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Congo.
This evening marks a very special occasion for them as they will receive their
certificates for having completed the courses offered by "Asylum Seekers
Partnership". Some
receive certification of their English skills, while many others have followed
the full training package, which also included labour market orientation and
"life" skills.
Mr Gerada with two EQUAL graduates
The ceremony starts with a welcome by Joseph Gerada,
Chief Executive Officer the Foundation for Social Welfare Services. He welcomes the asylum
seekers and the representatives from the organisations which together make up
the EQUAL partnership since 2005. He thanks everyone for their commitment,
enthusiasm and perseverance in making the project a success: for the first time
in Maltese history, asylum seekers are gathered as graduates. It has been a
great learning experience for both the organisations and the beneficiaries. The
manager of the Development Partnership, Stephen Vella from the same foundation,
also expresses his admiration for both the project workers and the participants.
A young couple of asylum seekers come forward to symbolically receive their
certificates on behalf of the entire group. They have a newborn child with them,
showing how life even after great tragedy and hardship goes on.
Towards the end of the ceremony, a song called 'The Journey' is played,
composed by a local musician with spoken word from different asylum seekers. The
song describes the incredible flight most of them have experienced to come to
Europe, telling about the family members they had to leave behind, about their
first positive experiences in Malta and their hopes for the future. After the
song, the certificates are handed out to all proud participants. Everyone is
then invited to join the dinner which has been prepared in the restaurant
downstairs in the hotel, to celebrate the official end of the courses. "The
asylum seekers have managed to gain the trust of the local community" comments
Anthony Cauchi, coordinator of the EQUAL partnership, "by showing that they are
here with a purpose: they want to work hard and start a new life. Malta may not
have been their destination of choice, but they have impressed the population
with their commitment and enthusiasm".
A New Phenomenon...
Since its entry in the European Union, Malta has experienced a drastic
increase of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants. In 2002, nearly 1700 persons
requested asylum, which is an enormous number for a small country of around
380,000 inhabitants. Most of the newcomers arrive by boat, having risked
crossing the dangerous Mediterranean Sea on ships that were never made to travel
such distances. The boats are overcrowded and living conditions are extremely
poor, with women and children most at risk during the long trip.
Even more shocking is that most of the boats do not wish to come ashore on Malta
and are even trying to escape from the coastal guard when, by accident, entering
Malta's territorial waters. The dream of most refugees and other immigrants is
to arrive on Europe's mainland, where it is easier for them to join friends,
family and ethnic communities. Malta is not considered to be a final
destination, even though it seems that slowly but surely recognised refugees
have started to settle on this small island.
Today, on average, 3,000 asylum
seekers are in Malta, a phenomenon which has not gone unnoticed by the local
population. But once arrived on Maltese territory, the plight of the asylum seekers is not
over. In order to manage the high number of people arriving in Malta, the
government has set up detention centres which serve to check the admissibility
of their applications for asylum or other forms of protection. The conditions in
these centres are not of high quality, with part of the occupants having to live
in tents. The centres are controlled by the police and the army, and the
inhabitants have little access to legal advice, education and other forms of
support. Local NGOs are allowed to enter the centres but find it difficult to
help people who are, in a sense, prisoners. While vulnerable groups such as
women and families with children spent only a few weeks in the centres, other
asylum seekers might be forced to spend up to 18 months in detention. "This
situation is extremely frustrating for people who are often already
traumatised", stresses Isabelle Sicott, social worker with the EQUAL
partnership. "Spending such a long time without any meaningful activity also
endangers their ability and willingness to integrate once they are allowed to
leave the centres".
Requiring a New Response
Early 2005, the Ministry of Family and Social Solidarity asked the Foundation
for Social Welfare Services to come forward with suggestions for a project to be
financed by the EQUAL theme promoting the social and vocational integration of
asylum seekers, or shortly referred to as the EQUAL Asylum Seekers theme. The
Foundation was well placed to pilot such integration activities, having a long
tradition with the provision of assistance to other disadvantaged groups. With
one of its daughter organisations (APPOGG, meaning 'support') being responsible
for the open reception centres for asylum seekers and refugees, EQUAL provided
the Foundation with a real chance to help the newcomers to start their lives in
Malta. However, at the same time asylum seekers were also a new group, with
particular needs and facing many restrictions to integrate - not even mentioning
the hostile climate around to whole theme of immigration.
The EQUAL project
forsaw to the development of a training package consisting of
three consecutive modules, including English lessons, 'life skills' and labour
market orientation. In this last stage of the project, measures are also
being developed to help asylum seekers build a portfolio so that they have a
higher chance to access training opportunities and better employment - meaning
in most cases formal employment as supposed to working on the black market. "We
started with a long recruitment phase, were we tried to convince asylum seekers
to join our courses. This was not an easy task, as many are already working
full-time. Initially, we started with a group of 30 asylum seekers, but when
they all began telling their friends and family how interesting the courses
were, the group expanded to more than 100 people and we actually had had to
refuse many more" comments Stephen Vella enthusiastically.
The Education and Training Corporation provided the English literacy courses,
with 45 asylum seekers successfully completing this module. Face-to-face
pre-interviews were organised with interested clients to assess their level of
English. Three groups were created which each followed a total of 160
hours of training, divided over nine hours per week for small groups of maximum
15 persons. Two teachers were present in each class to ensure continuous
attention and feedback. The approach was highly interactive, making the trainee
the determinant factor. The format is informal, often outside the traditional
classrooms and using games to capture the interest of the asylum seekers. "Working with such heterogeneous groups, in terms of cultural backgrounds and
religions, can be quite challenging. It is important for teachers to understand
and work with these differences", comments Nicolette Cammilleri, teacher and
coordinator of the module.
The General Workers' Union has developed the labour market orientation module,
which is based on a successful method used for long-term unemployed persons. The
module is taught in small groups placing a strong focus on job interviewing,
interaction and communication. "We interview a lot of people", says Michael
Parnis, head of this largest national trade union. "We use this extensive
experience to explain to asylum seekers how to best behave, emphasising the
importance of timeliness, of communication and simple gestures such as a firm
grip when shaking hands with your interviewers". We use interactive games
requiring a lot of team work, simulations and role plays. It is all about
cultural understanding. The course has been such a success that discussions are
now ongoing with the Employment Training Centre to provide it at national level
for school leavers. But what is perhaps even more important, is that the trade
union is strengthening and protecting the rights of asylum seekers, which may
help to decrease their exploitation by employers. "We are sending a strong
message to employers that there is a level playing field" concludes Michael
Parnis.
The courses were accompanied by social support and recreational activities.
Appogg set up a small vocational guidance team of experienced social workers to
encourage asylum seekers to join the newly created courses and to follow them
from beginning to end. "You cannot successfully insert someone into the labour
market when they have a lot of social problems. We therefore actually do a bit
of everything" explains Isabelle Sicott, on of the four team members "such as helping mothers to find childcare during the courses, accompanying
people to the doctor, looking together at housing opportunities and convincing
them to stay in the courses even when it becomes heavy to combine it with their
job. Some travel more than an hour per day to come to the training sessions, so
you can imagine that after a long day's work it is difficult to find the
motivation to leave home again". But in order to also provide some recreational
diversion from the training programme, the team also organised several study
visits to discover the country's culture and heritage and social gatherings for
asylum seekers and the local community.
A Personal and Empowering Approach
"You said you left Liberia when you were 11 and again at 25 years. After what I
read I am not surprised that you expressed the fear of losing 'your soul' if you
continued to stay on [...]. Reading through the story is shocking; living through
it must have been horrific. No wonder you are so withdrawn when you speak about
the people of your country". This is an excerpt from a letter used by the
therapists to enhance communication with the asylum seekers taking part in the
'life' skills course. The module, organised by the Maltese Red Cross, is all
about empowering asylum seekers and giving them a voice. Through various group
sessions which are facilitated by two professional therapists, asylum seekers
are encouraged to discuss their experiences and expectations through games,
writing and working together. The courses go deep and do not avoid emotions and
confrontations. Sometimes the groups bring together persons from two opposite
sides in civil wars or other conflicts.
The course is built around 5 principles: confidentiality, honesty, respect,
non-judgmental attitude and openness. Many of the participants find it hard to
open up in the first sessions, but such barriers are slowly broken down. They
learn how to manage their anger, speak without hurting other people's feelings
and face hard decisions such as repatriation. Many feel truly relieved and
improved once they are approaching the end of the module. The course gives them
back their motivation and self-confidence. "Together with the other modules, we
provide an informal and holistic programme combining social work, psychological
support and vocational integration", says Silvia Galea from the Maltese Red
Cross, one of the 'life' skills facilitators. "We call it Reception Plus, going
beyond merely giving people a place to sleep and some food".
'The Journey', the song performed at the graduation ceremony of the asylum seekers
proves that the group dares to express themselves. The stories told through
spoken words are very personal, and the performers do not shy away from their
emotions. Equally, during the dinner organised by the EQUAL partnership at the
end of the celebration, the discussions at the table are of a similar open
nature. "In my country, the conflicts between the different clans are getting
worse every day" recounts Hassan from Somalia. "It was not safe for me to stay
there. Together with other refugees, we travelled for a long time until we
finally arrived in Libya, where they gave us a boat. We didn't want to go to
Malta, we were aiming to arrive in Italy and travel further north. The detention
centre was a terrible experience, but now that I've had the chance to learn and
work, I feel much better here. I might even stay in Malta".
A New Partnership
The EQUAL 'Asylum Seekers Partnership' brings together an interesting mix of
organisations which had never worked so intensively together. The partnership is
managed by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, a state-funded
organisation with a long tradition in assisting disadvantaged groups, but which
had never before worked with asylum seekers. Other organisations participating
in the project include the Appogg, a daughter organisation of the Foundation, the
Employment and Training Corporation, a public organisation acting both as a
training provider and employment service, the General Worker's Union, the
largest national trade union in Malta and the Maltese Red Cross, member of the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The EQUAL
partnership also comprises two reception centres.
"For us, this new and very heterogeneous target group, with special needs and
characteristics, required a unique combination of actors" explains Joseph
Gerada, heading the Foundation. "On the one hand, we have a partner who is used
to working with asylum seekers and refugees, bringing in valuable know-how and
experience. On the other hand, we have partners that can offer practical
approaches while at the same time really put the issue of asylum seekers on the
policy agenda and raise awareness amongst the Maltese population." The roles and
responsibilities of the organisations were clearly defined at the onset of the
EQUAL partnership, making sure that maximum use was made of their competences,
expertise and connections. Even though partners took responsibility for a
certain activity or course, all were in regular contact and consulted on the
content and focus of their respective actions. It was especially important for
the social workers, teachers and therapist to regularly discuss their clients to
make sure that the various project activities met their needs and obtained their
maximum involvement.
For the he General Worker's Union, for example,
participating in the EQUAL project proved to
be a real eye opener. "By running the training sessions and being in daily
contact with the asylum seekers, we have, as an organisation, learned more about
different cultures and traditions", argues Michael Parnis. "The same happens to
Maltese workers who have asylum seekers as new colleagues. Increasingly we
receive requests from companies that are interested in hiring asylum seekers".
At the same time, the involvement of the trade union helps to ensure adequate
working conditions and levels. A recent survey has shown that unfortunately
migrants are working in jobs which are below their skills and capacity, but it
is hoped that the Development Partnership will help tackle this problem. "We
should especially not forget that the asylum seekers we help today may be
tomorrow's clients and advocates".
Contact details
Stephen C. Vella
Project Manager
Foundation for Social Welfare Services
Braille Street, Sta. Venera, HMR11, Malta
Tel: +356 23885140
Email: stephen.c.vella@gov.mt
Websites: www.appogg.gov.mt
- www.sapport.gov.mt -
www.sedqa.gov.mt
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