Brazilian companies receive training on hiring refugee women

Women in refugee situations in Brazil, companies and UN representatives met this month (7) in São Paulo (SP) to discuss the stages of hiring refugees. The meeting was part of Empowering Refugees, a project run by the Global Compact Brazil Network, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN Women. The initiative promotes the integration of foreign women into the Brazilian labor market.

Women in refugee situations in Brazil, companies and UN representatives met this month (7) in São Paulo (SP) to discuss the stages of hiring refugees. The meeting was part of Empowering Refugees, a project run by the Global Compact Brazil Network, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN Women. The initiative promotes the integration of foreign women into the Brazilian labor market.

The participants in the meeting analyzed an example of success in the selection of a refugee - Fox Time recently integrated Syrian Rama into its workforce. According to Danielle Pieroni, the company's Human Resources manager, the decision came from identifying a growth potential for the company through this type of action.

"We were already partners in the project (Empowering Refugee Women), but we decided to hire her because we saw that companies gain a lot from this, especially in terms of the organizational climate. Living with different people is very positive for the institution and we found a totally committed professional in Rama," said Danielle.

Although she still hasn't mastered 100% Portuguese, Rama is fully integrated into the company, where she works in the financial sector. According to her, the job was fundamental to starting a new career, far from home.

"I have a sad and difficult history. But because of my work, I now have a different life in Brazil. Not just for my professional growth, but for my family, my children, who now have better conditions and access to everything they need."

According to Keyllen Nieto, a consultant for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on the Empowering Refugees project, training sessions are essential for engaging the private sector. "There are companies at different stages of implementing diversity and inclusion policies and meetings like this are positive for leveraging this process and exchanging experiences between companies and refugees," she points out.

At the end of the meeting, representatives of the companies present at the workshop were able to meet the refugees served by the UN and Global Compact initiative. The foreigners and Brazilians took part in a dynamic networking and employability, with group interactions and individual interviews. The aim was to promote contact with the women in the program and analyze their profiles for possible hiring.

Professionals from Brazilian companies also took part in a training course on the employability of refugees, held by the IOM. During the training, executives were able to answer questions about hiring refugees and migrants, as well as understanding how to implement inclusion policies in their corporations.

The training was based on a study on the challenges and opportunities for international migrants in the Brazilian labor market. The research was carried out in 2018 by the IOM in partnership with the Global Compact Brazil Network.

Business with Refugees Platform

The current edition of the Empowering Refugees project, now in its third year, serves around 50 women, promoting training for work in the Brazilian private sector and direct dialog with companies.

This cycle, which ends in the first half of 2019, also includes the launch of the Companies with Refugees platform, a channel for promoting good practices on the integration of refugees in the corporate world. The site was designed by the Global Compact and the UNHCR to give visibility to cases of inclusion and to disseminate information about new initiatives for refugees.

Empowering Refugees has a partnership with Facebook and the support of ABN AMRO, Carrefour, Lojas Renner, Pfizer and Sodexo. The project's strategic partners are Consulado da Mulher, Fox Time, Grupo Mulheres do Brasil, Migraflix and Programa de Apoio para a Recolocação dos Refugiados (PARR).

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