Intercultural and inclusive work spaces, that is the name of the project with which Jesuit Migrant Service managed to be one of the four winning organizations of the 2017 Strengthening Fund of the Colunga Foundation. This will allow them to have financial and technical support for this project until the year 2020.

The focus of the initiative is to encourage the construction of inclusive and intercultural work spaces in companies. The project intervenes, initially, directly with the migrants, who are informed about their labor rights and how the labor market works. In addition to the delivery of advice, for example, in the formulation of your curriculum.

The diagnosis

"People who arrive have a hard time understanding how the Chilean labor system works, the validation of their studies, applying, being accepted and then being part of a team. The idea is to ensure that they are not only hired, but also valued and appreciated in their diversity ", highlights Anne Kathrin Müller, Director of Partnerships and Sustainability of the Jesuit Migrant Service.

The motivation of this organization is to promote the dignity and protect the human rights of migrants, with special focus on labor exclusion, the main barrier they face when they arrive in Chile. That is why, the second part of the project is to work directly with the companies. His diagnosis is that there is interest in hiring migrants, but also misinformation regarding the payment of contributions and the legal framework of the contract. "There is also still a lot of ignorance about how to really integrate and train intercultural teams," says Anne.

Finally, the project includes a line of incidence, where they have formed a Network of Intercultural Companies with a specific pattern, in order to generate proposals for improvement in public policy.

The Colunga Strengthening Fund

On the experience with the Colunga Foundation and the Strengthening Fund, the SJM professional highlights that the collaboration has been very positive. "With Colunga we have support that goes beyond the project. Obviously financial and consulting support is super important to us. But, on the other hand, the networking, the invitations to training talks, the exchange of experiences with other NGOs has been very valuable, "says Anne.

Now is your chance! Apply to the Strengthening Fund of Fundación Colunga until August 13 in www.fundacioncolunga.org.