Cameroon

A PROMISING REINTEGRATION PROJECT

Stéphane* arrived in Belgium in 2013 to study bioengineering. After obtaining his bachelor's degree in 2018, he decided to start a master's degree.

SHORTENED STUDIES

In addition to his studies, Stéphane also worked in the hotel and catering sector from time to time to pay the high rent of the small studio he was renting in Leuven. But when the Coronavirus crisis hit in 2020, he lost his job and all his motivation to pursue his studies at the same time. After giving up, Stéphane looked for a new job but no employer was willing to hire him because of his expired residence permit. Unable to accept that he couldn't stay in Belgium legally, he decided to return to Cameroon with many ideas for entrepreneurial activities that he could develop independently.

REINTEGRATION AND RENOVATIONS

Stéphane could benefit from the budget allocated by AMIF to find temporary accommodation before having to find long-term housing. He could also count on the support of the CCEY-CA business incubator. Resulting from a cooperation project between Canada and Cameroon, this NGO works with European organisations to reintegrate Cameroonians. Sthépane then decided to invest in his sister's bar, renowned for its quality wines and spirits. Thanks to the reintegration budget, he was able to undertake renovations as well as develop a range of natural juices based on four flavours: baobab, bissap, pineapple and ginger. Currently only sold at the bar, Stéphane aims to distribute them on a larger scale.

Good luck with this project!

*The pseudonym Stéphane has been used to respect the beneficiary's choice not to divulge his real first name.

Did you know that Caritas International and IOM Belgium and Luxembourg are the official reintegration partners of Fedasil?

Discover the story of other people in exile here.