Enabling those with nothing to get work
Manawatu Red Cross celebrated the success of a new programme helping them to get into work, by giving them the skills they need to apply their talents in appropriate careers.
In the past six months it has helped 22 refugees in Manawatu find employment and hopes to attract more business interest.
A teacher in a refugee camp in Nepal, Arvind Rai arrived in Palmerston North in 2009. In Nepal he earned about $10 a month and when he moved to New Zealand, he set his mind to finding work.
‘‘Some of the refugees are highly qualified and have got experience in their own country, but when they come to New Zealand that qualification will do nothing.’’
Rai said the biggest barriers in the way of refugees getting into work were a lack of language skills and relevant experience.
He had some of the best English skills in his intake.
To get into work, like he did, he said refugees must be ‘‘dedicated and sincere’’ when they do get a chance.
He said people who are teachers, like himself, would find themselves cleaning. But being humble was important, he said.
Before finding his current job, Rai worked as a cleaner, a census information collector and volunteered at the Red Cross.
Rai now works for Decopot Ltd in dispatch and fabrication, and is able to provide for his family without relying on the welfare system.
National programme develop- ment manager Rachel O’Connor said the Pathways to Employment programme had changed the way refugees settled in the country.
It used to be about teaching the language and then focusing on employment, but O’Connor said a lot of refugees wanted help finding employment while learning the language.
‘‘To get here and to know that they are going to rebuild their lives, it keeps that hope alive.’’
Providing for their families was what all refugees wanted to do.
Manawatu humanitarian services manager Sonja De Lange said it was important to find sustainable employment for refugees.
Empowering them with the skills they need and recognising their situations was important, as many came from traumatic backgrounds, she said.
‘‘They want to work, they want to contribute. We realise that it’s hard work [for employers]. But if you build those relationships, it’s great to see how they contribute.’’