"Give a Job!" : about the project

„Give a job!”: to give them tools to (re)build a decent life!

1. Aleppo: the begining

It all started with the visit of the president of Domus Orientalis Fr. Przemysław Szewczyk in Aleppo in summer 2017. When he saw how much destruction the war had brought, he asked himself how to help? What to focus on? He decided that we would try to rebuild small businesses – shops, workshops - to provide income for the families, so that they could later provide funds for other needs.

We started by repairing a printing machine destroyed during the war, then we implemented further projects together with the parish of St. Francis of Aleppo (Latin Church). Behind every project there is a person, his story, dreams, worries! These people from Aleppo, beneficiaries of "Give a Job!”, are engraved in our hearts forever:

• Fuad: purchase of equipment for a hairdressing salon.

• Lina: reconstruction of a bakery destroyed during the war/purchase of equipment.

• Kamil: financial support for the purchase of a delivery vehicle.

• Rolly: co-financing the purchase of goods for a flower shop reactivated after the war.

• George: purchase of electrical tools.

• Uaness: purchase of a coffee machine for his shop.

• Karam: paying for a taxi to drive a disabled people.

As part of "Give a Job" in Aleppo, we also support the Franciscan Sisters' tailoring atelier project - a unique place where both Christians and Muslims receive help in the form of a tailoring course and psychological support. The Atelier is also a meeting place that allows them to spend time together, get to know each other, share concerns and dreams.

2. Lebanon: „Give a Job” to lift people from the rubbles
When the large explosion took place in Beirut in 2020, people could not believe for a long time that what was happening was not just a bad dream. In addition to the enormity of destruction, aid organizations faced widespread trauma that led people to a state of apathy and resignation. Repairing a window, door or wall was the first step to returning both physically and spiritually to your beloved place.
We were one of the first organizations to focus not only on home restoriations but also on reactivating workplaces. We discovered that work was for many people a way to stop racing thoughts, an attempt to cope with the drama that had happened. Especially for those who did not receive adequate psychological support.

Sometimes in a workplace or shop it was enough to install a window, sometimes the work was much more complex. Sometimes we helped twice, as in the case of "Pizzeria Da Marco". For us, this is a unique example of heroism and resourcefulness. Marco lay under the rubble after the explosion, and later he did not receive any support for a long time. First, we helped him open a pizzeria, and after a year he came with a business plan for its expansion, showing his own contribution and an idea for employing additional people.   

So far in Beirut we’ve managed to help reactivate/open 41 workplaces (2 supported twice).
 

3. Africa: „Give a Job” as a way to stop migration.

Trying to stop people on the migration route and even return them home is one of the most ambitious and difficult goals of our Mission. "Give a Job!" fits perfectly into the implementation of this concept, as it is able to offer an alternative to this often suicidal journey.

And so, we first implemented "Give a Job" trough our "Migrant House" in Tunis, helping, among others to „Bouba” to buy a professional sewing machine and Raymon to pay for a welding course.

Then we went a step further - no longer on the route, but at the source of migration! Thanks to us, Wielfried Pagnol turned back from the migration road and used the funds collected by Poles to open a farm in Cameroon. Now we are working on another project in Cameroon: Steve's clothing store.

What’s next?

"Give a Job!" is a difficult project and sometimes not everything works as we dreamed. Unfortunately, some stores workshops stopped to operate in Beirut due to the increase in maintenance costs, others changed branches. However, in most cases, the places we supported function perfectly well. We try to visit those we have helped, accompany them and check how they are doing.

Thanks to this, we manage not only to help people, but also to stop their migration and set an example to others that everything it is possible!

The project is continued, and over time we will try to introduce it also in Ukraine!

You can find some pictures in the PDF file attached below

To donate:

IBAN Number for USD: PL11 1140 2004 0000 3712 0693 5417

IBAN Number for EURO: PL16 1140 2004 0000 3512 0693 5425

IBAN Number for PLN: PL 70 1140 2004 0000 3002 7483 9388

BIC/SWIFT: BREXPLPWMBK

Recipient name: Stowarzyszenie “Dom Wschodni – Domus Orientalis”

Recipient adres: Ul. Piotrkowska 80, 90-102 Lodz, POLAND  

Transfer title: Give a Job!