The ‘In de zorg, uit de zorgen’ (Into care to be carefree) Interreg project integrated more than 140 refugees and immigrants in the healthcare sector in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. In doing so, the initiative responded to two challenges: integrating refugees and migrants into European society, and the shortage of healthcare workers to look after Europe’s ageing population.
- 13 July 2021
‘The project was a real eye-opener for Familiehulp. We got to know refugees in a completely different light. They are people with dreams and hopes, and with many talents. Thanks to the project, several refugees were able to start working with Familiehulp. The project brought us new partners and access to new networks.’
Eight project partners involved in supporting refugees and caring for the elderly in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany developed training programmes to help refugees interested in a career in the sector to develop the necessary skills. At the same time, the project ensured that the elderly and current care workers accepted the new additions to the workforce. The three-year project ended in March 2021.
The partners developed comprehensive guidelines and documented best practices, available on the project website, which they also shared at a conference, to help others implement similar initiatives.
An ageing population
Over the last decade, tens of thousands of refugees have arrived in Europe each month, with numbers peaking in 2015 and 2017. Finding them meaningful work is an important aspect of their successful integration into their new communities. For this to happen, they need to overcome obstacles, including language and cultural barriers and a lack of skills.
The shortage of care staff in Europe is projected to worsen in coming years as they retire and as fewer enter the profession, partly due to young people leaving the region. This is aggravated by an ageing population and an increase in chronic diseases such as dementia and cancer.
According to Eurostat, the EU’s median age is projected to increase by 4.5 years during the three decades of 2020-2040, to reach 48.2 years by 2050. The number of working-age adults (aged 20-65) who can look after the elderly is projected to decrease from just under four per elderly person in the EU in 2001, to 2 by 2050. The highest dependency ratios are projected in Italy (66.5 %), Greece (68.1 %) and Portugal (68.8 %).
A holistic approach
The project developed a programme specifically for the health sector. Language courses based on dialogue were used to teach the vocabulary associated with the work. The trainees were taught the relevant theory by lecturers and were given an opportunity to gain workplace experience, to deepen their interest in and motivation for the work. Project coordinators mentored participants throughout the process.
Trainees had to get used to washing people and dealing with their bodily functions. Participants were encouraged to talk about these aspects of their work openly and dispassionately. Such exchanges led to mutual enrichment. In one case, participants told their trainers afterwards: ‘You were right, I take care of people, regardless of what sex they are.’
Exceeding expectations
The project aimed to help 150 refugees find internships and or work and influence the perceptions of 150 carers. According to the final evaluation, the project reached 329 refugees and 429 caregivers.
Overall, In de zorg, uit de zorgen positively influenced both the refugees’ perception of care and how the current workforce and the elderly view them. The refugees were well supervised during their apprenticeship and felt prepared to take up a job in the sector. The seniors accepted their new carers, and the trainees were motivated to learn.
The chances of successfully employing them have been enhanced by good mentoring and training from committed leaders in the care organisations and the support of their colleagues.
According to the report, refugees need support for transport to work, childcare and income. In Belgium, the project found that as soon as someone with refugee status starts working or training, even if only part-time, they lose any government unemployment grants, which leaves them in a financially more precarious situation. In the Netherlands, this problem was overcome with financial help from the municipality of Sittard-Geleen.
The 'into care to be carefree' philosophy has been integrated into similar programmes in various regions, often with support and input from one or more of the project organisations.
Finding a purpose
Nadia, one of the successful trainees, says the project helped her find her dream job. She was employed at WZC Toermalien, an assisted living facility in Ghent, Belgium. This not only helped her and her family to integrate into their new environment but gave her a sense of purpose and a community. She enjoys the social side of her work so much that she visits her patients on her days off.
Kwame was employed as a caregiver for Familiehulp. During his first internship, he found it awkward to help people go to the toilet or to wash them. ‘But I have overcome that,’ he says. ‘You realise that there is so much gratitude and you get so much back, that it makes you go beyond and above.’
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “In de zorg, uit de zorgen” is EUR 2 111 863, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 1 055 931 through the “Interreg V-A - Belgium-Germany-The Netherlands (Euregio Meuse-Rhin/Euregio Maas-Rijn/Euregio Maas-Rhein) Cooperation Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Promoting cooperation in education and training”.