On International Women's Day, we are celebrating the resilience of our team. They are breaking the bias everyday by showing what a key part of society they have become. Our Love Welcomes team contributes their talents and experiences from 9 different countries. At Love Welcomes, our team are competent at creative skills, learning new life skills in our education courses, and always working as a team. Every day, our Love Welcomes team brings creativity, collaboration, and diverse perspectives to our workplace. Their creative skills span from crochet, embroidery, hand-weaving, up-cycling, and machine sewing into more than beautiful gifts, home decor, shoes, and fashion.
Love Welcomes team are breaking the bias for refugees and women. The bias that we are breaking is how refugees are viewed and the pre-assumptions of their lack of skills and experience. Our team would like to showcase the projects that exemplify their talents and exciting products to come.
Shirin, Abeer, and Joy are up-cycling and sewing overstocked denim that is solving apparel waste into a more than beautiful project to be launching soon.
Nahed and Joy utilize their creativity to design one of the Margo Selby x Love Welcomes Patchwork Blankets
Lewawi preparing Love Welcomes Shine Bright Collection hand printed and hand embroidered cushions
The Love Welcomes team's talents are reaching the wider London community through volunteering and education from nursing to the new technology of 3D Design. We are proud of our team and their many accomplishments!
Kemi, our technical advisor, guiding our team and training skills on the sewing machine.
Breaking the Bias for Refugees
On International Women's Day Breaking the Bias, our Love Welcomes team has shared personal stories with us on the barriers and challenges of resettling as a refugee in the UK. The negative bias towards refugees are beliefs that they are coming to take our benefits to uneducated and lazy. At Love Welcomes, we are here to break this bias. As we see in Ukraine, a refugee has no choice to leave their country and family in times of war and persecution. If our team was born in a safe country, they would have never left. Second, a refugee has their own education, work experience, and skills that they contribute their diverse perspective to our team.
The bias and barriers for employment are another obstacle our team has endured. An asylum seeker in the UK is not able to work until their refugee status comes through, which often can take 2-3 years. The lack of translation of their education, employment gap, and the impact on their mental health makes finding a refugee's first job almost impossible. Sofi explains her challenges finding employment after years unable to work as an asylum seeker.
"As an asylum seeker, I did not have the right to work. The years of employment gap and my work experience in my home country did not translate. These barriers made it impossible to start a new life." - Sofi
Sofi showing off her work for The Edge x Love Welcomes Guitar Strap
When Sofi gained her refugee status and right to remain, she was able to find her first employment with Love Welcomes. Love Welcomes employs women with refugee background while supporting in integration.
"Love Welcomes was able to see me. They appreciated my background and resilience. Being human and being me, it was enough to give me the opportunity." - Sofi