The sector promotes the inclusion of indigenous immigrants and refugees in the job market

New year. New steps on the part of the Livelihood Sector of the Roraima Humanitarian Mission in the implementation of lasting solutions. The sector is guided by strategies that are able to promote a means for livelihood  and autonomy for the refugees who live in the three shelters in Roraima – one in Pacaraima and two in Boa Vista -, under the management of the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FFHI), whose actions are developed in partnership with the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR), under the seal of approval of Acolhida (Welcome) Operation.

The activities this year are focused on lasting solutions with actions that provide empowerment and self-sufficiency for indigenous refugees, so that they may find prospects for their future in Brazilian lands.

The actions taken in January of this year range from simpler activities, such as the designing of resumes, to the most complex activities such as training and mentoring courses to develop entrepreneurship, most of the time through partnerships with public agencies, institutions and private entities.

 Workshop on Organization of the Workspace

The training of this target audience, with the aim of promoting their entry in the job market, is one of the lines of action of the Livelihood Sector, which has developed various activities of this kind.

In partnership with the Education Sector, a joint effort was put together in the shelters for enrollment in the National Examination for Certification of Youth and Adult Skills (Encceja). 59 refugees from the Pintolândia shelter, 29 from Jardim Floresta, and 25 from Janokoida were registered.

Carried out by the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), agency of the Ministry of Education, the Exam is a free test awarding certificates of completion of primary and secondary school education, for those who did not have the opportunity to finish their studies at the appropriate school age.

Sebrae and Senai, relevant partnerships

Participation in Senai and Sebrae vocational courses

For the participants in the vocational courses given by the Sebrae in 2020, the Livelihood Sector promotes activities to expand the knowledge received and, in this way, foster autonomy and provide a generation of income for the recipients of the shelters.

During the month of January two workshops were done in the Pintolândia and Janokoida shelters, on different dates. The first, with a focus on entrepreneurship, was taught by the economist and monitor of the Means of Livelihood, Gabriel Cyrilo. The subject of the second one was the Organization of the Workspace, Hygiene and Safety at Work.

And also during that month, the monitors of the Livelihood Sector selected 16 refugees of the Warao tribe from the Jardim Floresta and Pintolândia shelters to participate in workshops offered by the National Industrial Training Service (Senai) that are soon to begin. In the area of cuisine, there were workshops offered on the making of puff pastry and cupcakes, and courses on the qualification of plumbers and electricians.

The first job

Registration in the Legal Apprentice Project

If for Brazilians the search for the first job is often a strenuous task, imagine a person who is a refugee and from another country, with a different language and culture. And so, when one of them is placed in the Brazilian job market, there is much to celebrate; such is the case of Rosana Carolina Hernandez, of the Warao tribe, who was approved in the Legal Apprentice Program of the Caixa Econômica Federal (federally controlled savings bank), where she applied for an opening with four other young people of her ethnicity.

The opening, offered by the Company-School Integration Center (CIEE-RR), was allocated for a young person age 15 to 17 of refugee status and who had completed the school year in 2020. The selection process had the participation of anthropologist Fernando Fileno, of the Humanitarian Fraternity (FFHI), and consisted of an interview in Portuguese and tests.

Even though not approved, the two Richard Lopez and Isamar Herrera, who participated in a selection process of the “Roraima Work” portal, considered their experience to be very significant just because of having participated in the process. “In spite of being a little nervous, I know that this was an important step,” reported Isamar, who was a student in the Bakery Techniques course.

The “Roraima Work” Portal is a non-profit initiative maintained by a group of State entrepreneurs.

Course on Indigenous Languages Interpreter

Training for Indigenous Language Interpreter

Of the 30 vacancies offered for the Course on Basic Training for Indigenous Languages Interpreter, in Boa Vista, in the Education at a Distance (EAD) modality, ten were filled by indigenous people of the Warao tribe, representatives of the three shelters, and approved in the selection process.

The course is the result of networking, in the sense of guaranteeing the linguistic rights of the indigenous peoples, with the aim of facilitating the access of these populations to the health, justice, education, and immigration services, and has the support of the Organization of Indigenous Teachers of Roraima (OPIRR). The classes were done at the end of January and the beginning of February.

Crescer (Grow) Project

Young indigenous Warao register for the Crescer Project.

With great anticipation, eighteen young Warao from the Pintolândia Shelter were registered for the “Crescer Project”, and are waiting for the beginning of the workshops, scheduled for March. The Project, with an area of activity in Boa Vista, proposes to generate employment and socially integrate young people from low incomes or in vulnerable situations. Initially aimed at young people from ages 15 to 23, the age group has been adjusted to up to 18 years, due to the pandemic. During the vocational workshops, the young people learn to make and sell their products.

The young people will be paid with a 180 Reais grant and will be able to sell the products they make in a co-operative created for this purpose.

The workshops are eclectic, with a broad range of options. According to what the Prefecture of Boa Vista has said, “workshops will be offered on carpentry, luthiery (maintenance of musical instruments), metalwork, metallurgy, fashion, silk-screen printing, traffic and sign education, handicrafts, music, dance, cinema, environment, regional cuisine, baking, hip hop, computers, theater, and jewel manufacture.”