In recent years, Germany has seen [by far the biggest](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Number_of_(non-EU%29_asylum_seekers_in_the_EU_and_EFTA_Member_States,_2015_and_2016_(thousands_of_first_time_applicants)_YB17.png#filelinks) influx of refugees of any EU country. In 2016, it had [six times as many](http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Number_of_(non-EU%29_asylum_seekers_in_the_EU_and_EFTA_Member_States,_2015_and_2016_(thousands_of_first_time_applicants)_YB17.png#filelinks) first-time asylum seeker applications as Italy, the second highest country.
One of the areas in the country with the highest concentration of migrants, both historically and throughout the recent wave of refugees, is Neukölln, a district in south-east Berlin. Nearly half of its 300,000 inhabitants are from a migrant background, and in some schools, up to 85% of pupils don’t speak German as their first language. According to Airbnb, it’s often referred to as “Little Istanbul”.
Integrating such high numbers of new arrivals is a challenge, and it’s critical to start early. Daycare and kindergartens are crucial spaces to learn German, meet children from other communities, and get on the state education ladder - but many immigrant and refugee parents don’t send their children.
"Immigrants who come to Berlin are usually not familiar with the education system"
“Immigrants who come to Berlin are usually not familiar with the education system and its rules. There’s a great need for information in their mother tongue and for ways to bridge the gap between new families and the city’s institutions,” said Alix Rehlinger, Director of Social Affairs and Integration at the non-profit Diakonie.
Traditional social workers struggle to help – it is hard to gain the trust of families in close-knit ethnic communities, and the language barrier is a perpetual challenge. So, instead, Neukölln trains mothers that are long-established in Germany but are themselves from immigrant backgrounds. They step in and bridge the gap between local government and these hard-to-reach families.
The program is based on the “backpack” project, familiar throughout the Netherlands and Germany, where migrant mothers receive a short training course then go and disseminate language learning materials to new families.
Neukölln’s program takes the idea to a whole new level. The district trains unemployed mothers that speak good German in a six-month program that covers 10 topics, from education to sexuality and violence. Most are from Turkish or Arab backgrounds.
“While they’re training, the mothers get to know all the official institutions and opportunities for families in the district. They go and visit advisory and health centres and even talk to people from the district offices - they get to know the system,” said Rehlinger.
"They motivate parents to make use of the opportunities for children"
“Then, they go to parents – mostly mothers - in their own communities and give information and advice on topics like bilingual education, children’s rights, and healthcare,” she said.
The mentoring starts with an informal session over a cup of tea, then each neighbourhood mother usually meets the new parent around 10 times to discuss their needs, challenges, and to give information about the support and services available in the district. The main focus is early years education.
“They motivate the parents to make use of the opportunities for children given here. The goal is to educate them about the importance of early childhood education and to incorporate kids as early as possible into a German-speaking environment,” said Rehlinger.
The neighbourhood mothers help with communicating with teachers, filling out applications for schools and doctors, and even accompany parents to appointments.
In the last 10 years, almost 11,000 families in the district have been supported by more than 400 district mothers. The current crop of 70 speaks 10 languages. “The external evaluations found the visits and support really have a big impact on families’ integration here, especially to real newcomers. It has helped families in particular find places in schools or kindergartens and to get any special healthcare they need,” said Rehlinger.
"For many of these women, it’s their first ever chance to earn their own money"
But the benefits are not just to new immigrants. The neighbourhood mothers are all women who have struggled to enter the main labour market, and the initiative provides an opportunity to develop their workplace skills and CV, as well as to earn some money.
“For many of these women, it’s their first ever chance to earn their own money - they’re very proud of having this job. It’s also the first time many of them have participated in a broader public, beyond their families and their own community – it’s very much an empowerment project,” said Rehlinger.
The German government funds a number of programs like this on what it calls the “second work market” to help the unemployed into the main labour market. The neighbourhood mothers work 30 hours a week and are paid €1,160 ($1,430 US) a month by the state – more than welfare payments.
The mothers are also themselves given social workers that help them organise and analyse their visiting work and discuss any challenges they come across. “The point is that they’re not alone in the work,” said Rehlinger.
"Unfortunately, not all the women make it into the work market"
Most of the mothers are on the program for two years, but many end up coming back later. "Unfortunately, not all the women make it into the work market – most of them lack formal or professional education, and many don’t speak perfect German. So, it is very difficult to find a job here,” said Rehlinger.
The project in Neukölln has received €11 million ($13 million US) from the local, state and EU governments since it was launched in 2004, and is funded at least until 2019.
It is, however, just one small piece of a much larger puzzle. In Germany’s 2017 budget, €21 billion ($24.7 billion US) was allocated to refugee assistance, which includes €3.2 billion ($3.9 billion US) for “integration” measures.
Some of this goes to other schemes in the migrant-heavy Neukölln. The local municipality supports numerous integration programs, including a circus to build immigrant schoolchildren’s confidence, an inter-cultural garden cooperative, and sewing training for unemployed newcomers and locals alike.
And other state funds go to the many replicas of Neukölln’s Neighborhood Mothers scheme that have sprung up in other districts in Berlin and other cities across Germany, including Cologne and Bremen. A similar scheme has also been set up in Denmark.
"To succeed, you have to find people with political and financial influence to fight with you"
But rolling out the program in new areas is complicated - and no fast fix to what is a new migration challenge for areas without such a multi-cultural history. “You need to cooperate with so many schools, kindergartens, neighbourhood centres... It took a long time to build the network, to get accepted by all the relevant institutions,” said Rehlinger.
“And, the mayor and his folks were instrumental in asking the schools and kindergartens to cooperate with us in the first place. The district mayor has always been on our side - without him speaking out for this program we probably would only have lasted for three years. We have been told the same thing by people in other countries and cities – for it to succeed, you have to find people with political and financial influence to fight with you,” she said.
(Picture credit: Rawpixel)
Odette Chalaby
odette.chalaby@apolitical.co
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