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Brazilian Denise de Souza Costa talks about life as a social worker supporting refugees

00:00 09/02/2015

It’s Monday and Place Van Meenen is humming with visitors to its weekly market. I’m searching not for my shopping but for my interviewee, Denise de Souza Costa.  We find each other among the stalls and look for somewhere quiet to chat. Denise knows a place on the corner facing the Saint-Gilles town hall; a Portuguese brasserie. Over the clattering of the coffee machine, we get talking, in a conversation that makes me realise how much is going on under the surface in Brussels, and what good work people are doing out there.

 Can you tell me about your job?

I’m a social worker at Convivial, an organisation that helps refugees. We welcome them, integrate them and try to make the public aware of their plight. We also help them to get jobs. They’re often vulnerable: women alone with children, some are handicapped, and they don’t speak the languages. They arrive and they’re depressed, lost.

What do you do to help?

We find them accommodation and negotiate with landlords to convince them to accept them. We go with them to the commune to get their ID cards. Our aim is to empower them to organise and administer their own lives, so they can become independent. 

It must be very hard. How are they received here?

It’s not easy to leave their country. It’s not a choice like for us, but to save their lives.  They’re all legal, recognised refugees, from Afghanistan, Guinea, Syria, Iraq. They are every age; lots with low levels of education, but also some highly educated – a mix of people. There is discrimination here; for example some landlords openly say “no black people”, and don’t want to take them in because they are foreign, or poor.

What exactly does your job entail?

I work in the housing department. I make sure everything works and that the refugees are taking care of the houses. We also work with education – some people come from very different cultures and backgrounds, so we show them how to recycle and explain about electricity, gas and how it costs money – some people have never used these utilities before.

How are things progressing at Convivial?

We now have accommodation in places like Saint-Gilles, Molenbeek and Ixelles. We have some new projects too: we place young people from other housing schemes with the refugees. They help each other – with French, with carrying things, in the kitchen. It’s solidarity in a common space. There’s a very high standard of living in the houses, we’re very proud of that. It’s due also to our cooperation with Belgian social agencies.

What qualities are needed to be a social worker?

You need patience, a good mood, the capacity to hear people and to listen. You also have to make a division between your own life and their suffering.

What is the atmosphere like at work?

The atmosphere is great. We have 35 employees, it’s very multicultural, my colleagues are Belgian, Rwandan, Moroccan, Italian. We also have people doing work experience with CPAS. We work in French, speaking English if needed. Our building has lots of services and we run courses – computers, languages, carpentry.

What do you like about your job?

It makes sense – it’s positive. It has social value. It’s an important job. But it’s tough – it’s sad seeing people suffering, seeing vulnerable people.

How do you balance working life with being a mother?

I work a 30-hour week and have Wednesday afternoon off with the kids. Luisa, who’s seven, goes to a local school while Daniel, who’s 13, goes to a European school. They are very different – the European school is very big.  At the local school everyone knows each other. We’re very happy with it. We have lots of Belgian friends, which as a mixed couple we like.

What do you think of Brussels?

It’s great, I love the city, and not only the European quarter. Brussels is bigger than that. I’m also open to discovering new places and travelling. We’ve been all over Belgium. With small kids, it’s a great place to live: the Belgians are tolerant of kids – they like children as a society.

What tips would you give to new expats?

Enjoy Brussels, and learn a language. Be persistent – it’s not easy but it’s possible. When I came, The Bulletin’s Newcomer guide provided me with lots of useful information, on things like landlords’ and tenants’ responsibilities.

In what way could Brussels improve?
Public transport makes life difficult. In Prague, where we used to live, the system is better. Here, I take the car because it takes so long to get to some parts of the city. I have to – I’m a mother and I work. I tried public transport but it didn’t work out. I do car-sharing with my husband as a compromise.

Do you miss Brazil?

I do miss Brazil – it’s my country, my place, my home. But I feel Brussels is my home too. You can live a Brazilian life here – if you want, you can go to only Portuguese restaurants and bars, and get your meat at Portuguese butchers. I prefer to be more integrated than that. But I recommend this restaurant we’re in now for good Portuguese food!

Is it difficult to find a job in Brussels as a non-European?

Compared to other European countries, it’s the most difficult. Partly because of the two languages, but also because it’s difficult to get foreign degrees recognised here. It’s a problem.

Your husband’s work is not dissimilar to yours

Yes, he works at the United Nations, for human rights. We give each other advice and discuss things. We complement each other – I can show him what is really happening on the ground. We talk a lot about our work. We’re both enthusiastic; we still have energy to work and the desire to do something.

On that note, how can people help?

It depends on their skills. People can volunteer, or make donations. For instance, we always need clothes, or furniture and bedding for the houses. People can always go to our website and get in touch.

 

This article was first published in The Bulletin Business Guide 2015

Written by Karen McHugh