Caritas Luxembourg has reflected on the results of the first year in existence of the Maison "Le Temps des Femmes", a centre for refugee and migrant women located in Heisdorf.
Since its inauguration in January 2019, the Maison “Le Temps des Femmes” has been welcoming refugee and migrant women for a few hours during the day, without their children and away from their accommodation, to discuss and exchange among themselves, do all kinds of activities and build a life project for themselves in Luxembourg.
The centre was born from the observation made by Caritas Luxembourg that refugee and migrant women form a vulnerable group to which special attention must be paid. Many of them have experienced severe trauma, whether during their trip to Europe, due to war, armed conflict or insecurity. Some of them find themselves alone in a foreign country, left to fend for themselves. Finally, many of them have lost the family and social ties they once had and live in extreme isolation today.
After a year of existence, Caritas Luxembourg has drawn up a first positive assessment of this initiative. As of 14 January 2020, 192 women have visited the Maison "Le Temps des Femmes" and benefit from its help. 75 women were able to access essential information that they did not have in the area of law and health, 57 women participated in cultural outings and 28 women were referred to medical services (psychological follow-up, specific care and examinations, gynecologist).
In addition, sixteen women had regular meetings to build their life project in Luxembourg, twelve were enrolled in language courses, nine found a job following the initiatives commenced at the centre and eight started conversation / literacy classes locally. A further three women were accompanied on their voluntary return to their country of origin (Iraq, Bosnia and Guinea respectively), two were referred to do an internship after a short training and two others have registered for certification training.
According to Caritas Luxembourg, these encouraging results show that there is a real need in Luxembourg for refugee and migrant women to be supported in their integration process. The support work carried out at the Maison "Le Temps des Femmes" is adapted to each woman and evolves as needed.
These first results were obtained thanks to the support of the Franciscan Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of the Christian Doctrine and many other donors. The centre also counts on the commitment of the many volunteers who work tirelessly to create a peaceful and positive atmosphere, offer activities, bring women together, reassure them and make their voices heard.
