Older immigrants to Germany often have less education than their German peers, face higher unemployment and depend more heavily on social welfare programs. A Dortmund collective aims to address their needs.
What unites Hadi Kamisli, Mathilde Schmidt, Kosan Ismed and other
members of the Association for International Friendship (ViF) is a sense
of solidarity and community that they say often lacks in their day to
day encounters with Germans who aren’t of foreign origin.
On Mondays and Fridays, the group meets in the western German city of
Dortmund, a former industrial stronghold. Over tea and biscuits, they
chat about old times, play games and sing songs.
