Brussels project trains refugees to become web programmers

Refugees in Brussels are being given the opportunity to train as web developers, in a new initiative funded in part by dinner parties organised by hobby cooks.

Kiron, a European NGO which helps refugees get access to higher education and integrate in society, has teamed up with Meetsies, a platform bringing people together over a good meal, for the Cook4Chance project to raise funds for a job training and placement programme.

The first seven refugees from Syria and Iraq joined the Kiron Codeschool in February and Meetsies hopes its fundraising dinners can pay for a further two students to enrol each month. The training programme consists of four months of online study, a four-month project and a two-month internship in an IT company building mobile or web apps.

"The whole point here is that programming is a very highly demanded skill in European society, especially in northern Europe," says Kiron co-founder Juan David Mendieta. "All companies are looking for developers and at some point they don't care what language you speak or where you come from because it's such a scarce resource and everyone needs a web developer.

"So we focus on this and teach them that, so that when they hit the job market they get a job, they get nicely paid and the corporate model in Belgium gets more development, more technology and gets a competitive advantage."

Meetsies - which was founded in Brussels six months ago - came up with the idea of making it possible for dinner hosts to donate some or all of what they charge from the events they host to help refugees. Ségolène Martin, co-founder of Meetsies, says: "Our starting objective is to raise funding for two students a month. We have calculated that with €400 we can equip a student with a laptop and a 3G connection. They want to study but they don't have the material."

Nader Mouti, a 19-year-old refugee from Syria, is one of the first students and is thrilled to participate: "It's not just a chance to improve skills and learn to program. For us, it's more than just a chance, it's a hope that I can maybe start a good life, maybe I have a good opportunity in Belgium.

"We are zero, we came with no money, we came with nothing, we have no chances, we are completely foreign to this country. Kiron is giving us a hope of finding a job by providing us with all the materials we need to learn. I'm really lucky to have them on my side. It's the perfect project for all of us and I hope I will do a big thing with them."

To take part in a fundraising dinner, or host one yourself, see www.meetsies.com/Kiron