An ethical and lawful way to facilitate the entry of foreign workers into Italy, through training in their country of origin and a process of reception and integration. This is the goal of “Kenya: people, skills, work,” the project presented Wednesday at the Eurointerim headquarters in Padua, which involves Eurointerim, Veritas, and Caritas Veneziana. with the goal of addressing the challenge of recruiting staff for environmental services—particularly in waste collection—and offering new career opportunities to young Kenyans.
The program will begin in Ol Moran, Kenya, at the mission of the Patriarchate of Venice led by the Venetian priest Father Giacomo Basso. Here, at the Saint Mark Institute, the 17 participants will prepare for their move to Italy by acquiring the necessary professional skills, as well as the linguistic, civic, and cultural knowledge needed to navigate their new living and working environment.
“We believe that preparing participants in their country of origin—through vocational, language, and civic training—is essential to fostering an informed and sustainable integration into Italian society,” emphasizes Luigi Sposato, president of Eurointerim Spa. “The hope,” he adds, “is that this experience can become a replicable model, based on training, the rule of law, and the dignity of work.”
The program, organized by Eurointerim Servizi Srl at the Saint Mark Institute, includes 160 hours of training: 100 hours of Italian language instruction to reach level A1, 24 hours of civic education and Italian culture, 28 hours of technical and professional training for waste collection workers, four hours of general safety training, and another four hours dedicated to the rights and duties of temporary agency workers.
The training program. The classes for the 17 current candidates will cover topics such as separate waste collection, environmental regulations, manual and mechanized collection techniques, and operational procedures. The civic education component, on the other hand, will cover elements of the Constitution, labor law, the organization of the state, and the rules of coexistence. At the end of the program, participants will take the A1-level Italian language certification exam in Nairobi, administered by the University for Foreigners of Perugia.
The project involves a process that supports workers from the selection phase through to their professional and social integration. Veritas, which has identified staffing needs, will integrate them into its operations through temporary staffing contracts arranged by Eurointerim Spa and will provide a cultural mediator to facilitate their transition into the workforce.
Eurointerim will handle the selection process and the administrative procedures required for legal entry into Italy, as part of the planned immigration flows provided for, in particular, by Law 50/2023 (known as the Cutro Decree), which provides funding for vocational and civic-linguistic training programs abroad, ensuring that participants are placed in temporary employment for at least the first year. Eurointerim Servizi will oversee the initial training and any subsequent professional development.
Caritas Veneziana will be responsible for supporting reception and integration efforts by providing furnished and equipped housing and serving as a point of contact during the initial phase of their stay.
It’s a win-win for everyone: for seventeen young Kenyans who are finding jobs; for Veritas, which is having its needs met; for the city of Venice, which will be a little cleaner; for Ol Moran, which is helping its young people build a future; for the rule of law, as well, because this time immigration is being handled in accordance with the regulations from A to Z; and finally, for Christian charity, because for once, the person is being put first.
This is the significance that Father Giacomo Basso, a Venetian priest who leads the parish of San Marco in Ol Moran, Kenya, attributes to the project that will bring 12 young men and 5 young women to Venice to work as sanitation workers for Veritas. The process begins with a selection process in Kenya, continues with language and vocational training, and culminates in formal employment in Italy, in accordance with the procedures governing the admission of foreign workers.
“The idea came from a request by Veritas and was brought to me by Father Gianni Fazzini, who for many years has been attentive to the needs of the local community and to offering people opportunities for growth,” says Father Giacomo. He admits that his initial reaction was one of surprise: “We had never considered taking steps to send our own people abroad.”
What convinced him was the practicality of the proposal. During a meeting with Father Fazzini and several Veritas executives, the parish priest of Ol Moran found a company willing to assess the Kenyan community’s willingness to collaborate both in the selection of candidates and in their initial training. “I realized this was serious: the entire Veritas administrative team was there, wanting to know if we were willing to lend a hand.”
The project brings together entities with different roles. Veritas provides job opportunities; Eurointerim organizes training and provides the financial resources to carry it out; The Ol Moran community helps select and prepare the candidates through the Tumaini Academy. The Diocese of Venice, through Caritas, will be responsible for finding housing for the young people, at least during the first few months after their arrival. .
“It struck me as an initiative that takes everyone’s opportunities into account, while adhering to the rules and striving to put the people involved at the center,” explains Father Giacomo. The process is part of the institutional framework established for the admission of foreign workers and also includes the necessary procedures for hiring and departure. Before they can apply for a work permit, candidates must first acquire basic language skills, obtain the relevant certification, and learn about certain aspects of civic culture.
For the priest, the value of the initiative goes beyond simply addressing the company’s staffing needs. In fact, there is also an ecclesial dimension: the young people come from the parishes of Ol Moran and other communities in the Diocese of Nyahururu. “We, as the Ol Moran mission, support people’s life plans and operate within the framework of a formation program that defines our institute. It is also an opportunity for apostolic ministry, allowing us to share the life of our Christian communities with others who have a Christian background.”
There is also a less common factor: Italy as a destination.“From Kenya, especially for those with higher qualifications, migration tends to be directed toward English-speaking countries, such as the United States, England, and Australia. For others, the destination is the Arab countries of the Middle East.” In this case, however, the prospect is a permanent, regularly paid job in Italy.
Don Giacomo Basso knows that the prospect of a job abroad can raise very high expectations. “The idea of finding a job opportunity outside one’s own country is appealing. But there is also the risk of some illusions—of expectations that need to be adjusted ". The priest recalls what happens when a young person from Ol Moran, a rural area, finds work in Nairobi: moving to the big city can be seen as the solution to all economic and stability problems, even though this does not necessarily reflect reality.
“We need to realize that a great deal also depends on how seriously a person takes their work and the opportunities offered to them,” he notes. Training, therefore, also serves to prepare candidates for a change in their lives, not just to teach them the vocabulary needed to perform a job.
The selection process, he adds, was conducted with an eye toward the participants’ commitment and potential for integration. “We can’t shield them from all difficulties, nor can we guarantee in advance that they’ll be good kids in every situation. We looked for people who deserved this opportunity because of their commitment and their prospects for successfully integrating into the program.”
Iscriviti a VE-NICE e non perderti nessun aggiornamento, ti invieremo 1 volta a settimana i nuovi articoli!
