Breath of Hope Project
Our main project of empowering women with refugee backgrounds is coordinating two groups with weekly meetings. At Emancipatiecentrum Vrouw en Vaart, participants are from Eritrea and Haiti. The other group also meets every Thursday at Stichting Home Empowerment, and participants are from Eritrea, Syria, Egypt and Morocco. The Women Gatherings, as these meetings are called, give a safe time and place for emotional and self-care. There, women find socialization, mutual support, and moments for reflection of experiences and feelings through various activities. We had good meetings with “De Key”, and we are expecting to start a new group at Riekerhaven in the near future.
In addition to weekly meetings, Breath of Hope organizes workshops and other events. On June 5th, the workshop “Raising children in two cultures” will take place at Ru Paré, and on June 22nd, another workshop about finances will take place at De Honingraat.
The Ondernemerschap Project
Our program for newcomer entrepreneurs who want to open up or develop their own businesses in the Netherlands is in its first cycle of 2024. In these two last weeks, after more than 10 sessions of learning from different topics, the participants had the chance to present their business plans to their colleagues. After that, they had lunch together and chatted about plans for the future. Now, the participants will have another 6 weeks of one-on-one mentorship to proceed with their plans to open their businesses.
Bridge of Hope
Our first project in Amsterdam Noord has been coordinating many opportunities to build ties with the community. The last event, Kaarsen Schilder (“Candle Painting”) Workshop brought together diversity and a strong spirit of community by learning together a new skill.
On May 31st, there will be a cooking workshop. One of our participants from Syria will teach a dish that is important to her. After the cooking workshop, the participants will eat together and talk about culture and how food can bring people together. Also, on June 10th, there will be a jewellery-making workshop. In the month of June, there will also be a “Coffee Hour” starting. This “coffee hour” is to bring refugee ladies and local ladies into a safe environment to talk about their feelings, their experiences in the neighbourhood, etc.
As you can see, there is a lot going on! To do not lose any opportunity to join our events, check the calendar below and save the dates!
