Juno - a project for refugee women
We celebrate strength, courage and cohesion
from us women!
For International Women's Day on 8 March, we visited JUNO in Munich. The organisation brings refugee women together and helps them to find their feet in their new home. JUNO offers many opportunities and activities where the women can contribute their talents, learn new skills and take part in various programmes. The day at JUNO was very inspiring and made us feel the strength of the women.
LADIES ONLY!
Every Tuesday and Friday there is Bellevue di Monaco organises an intercultural women's café. Refugee women and Munich residents come together here to talk, laugh, cook, dance, network and much more. A place for joie de vivre and lightness.
We spoke to women from different countries: Syria, Afghanistan, Mexico, Ukraine... Even though each woman has her own story, they all share an incredible strength and courage. The room was full of positive energy and joy.
Many new friendships are formed through the joint meetings in the women's café. The women invite each other over for a meal and cook dishes from their home country. They talk about how strong the bond between them is and how they support each other. Some even say that they have found their soul mates at JUNO.
JUNO offers many different activities, and many of them are particularly enthusiastic about cycling. Some of the women first learnt how to cycle here, as in some of their countries of origin they don't even have the opportunity to do so. Others have discovered boxing for themselves - it's good to work out together and get to know your own strength.
In summer, the women travel together to the Bavarian lakes or to the mountains. These excursions are so popular that they often need a whole train to themselves, says Britta, the head of JUNO, laughing.
Of course, we at re.fashion were also keen to hear what the women had to say about the clothes from their home country. Some of them brought their traditional clothing, which they wear on special occasions. When we talked to each other about fashion, it became very clear how much this topic connects us and how much fun it is.
A young woman from Palestine reported that clothing in her country has different characteristics depending on the city. You can tell which regions they come from by the colours and embroidery. Another woman explained that different materials are worn in the desert due to the extreme temperature differences during the day and in the evening.
Since the women have been in Germany, they have noticed how their clothing style has changed: to ride a bike, you need practical clothes that you can move around in. Their fashion has adapted to their new everyday life, it has become simpler in some ways. But there is no way they can do without bright colours!
We brought along a few models from our re.fashion collection to discuss fashion. Everyone was excited to combine our pieces with their traditional dresses and try out new looks.
It was so nice to hear one of the women talk about her dream job as a child carer. It wasn't easy to get there due to her flight and the language barrier. But she never lost sight of her goal, studied late into the night and finally completed her training with a grade two, WOW! When she told us about it, you could clearly feel her impressive willpower and pride in her achievement.
Unfortunately, many degrees and qualifications from the women's countries of origin are not recognised in Germany. They are lawyers, doctors, one of them even won an award from the Afghan Women's Chamber of Commerce - yet they cannot work here in the professions they have learnt.
JUNO provides support here with language courses or with filling out the many documents. The aim is to help them find their feet in the new world of work or reintegrate into it. They empower and encourage the women and show them options that were sometimes not even available in their home country. This creates new prospects for the future.
All these stories show the diversity and strength of the women at JUNO. Here they not only find support and community, but also the opportunity to rediscover themselves and inspire each other. JUNO is a unique place of exchange. A place that gives us women a voice.
If you would like to find out more about this wonderful organisation, take a look at their website. Donations are always needed and very welcome.
You can find even more insights from re.fashion at JUNO on our Instagram channel. Visit us there too to make sure you don't miss anything. 💛