In the Netherlands, illegal immigrants can be locked up in prison for not carrying papers. Nonetheless, many undocumented manage to live without papers for many years, suffering exploitation and not being able to substantially change their situation. Marion Groen in ‘t Woud, social worker and founder of the brand new NGO ‘Plan B: A Bridge to Better’ organizes workshops for people who want to return to back home. Marion: “I noticed that undocumented migrants who have been here for a long time are only trying to survive, they lost their energy and creativity to set up something new. Therefore we also train them to increase their self esteem.”
Bridge to Better
Bridge to Better received positive reactions from migrants, and Marion is convinced that training the undocumented to start a business is more productive and positive than putting them into prison: “Detention leads to passivity: people get ill, and it is likely that they will return to illegality if they get out”.
Stanley from Nigeria came to the Netherlands in 2002 to become a football player. But he didn’t manage to get a working permit problems and has been undocumented for the past nine years. He is now a volunteer football coach for children, and wants to continue the job in Nigeria. Stanley: “I have seen people older than me, that have been here for 25 years. They have no future. I don’t want to be one of them. I want to continue coaching in the future and be relevant in my community and country.”
In the video Marion explains a bit more about her initiative, and we see African migrants who are currently in the program talking about their experiences.
*Stanley’s name has been changed due to privacy reasons.
