Shadia’s story

By day in Colombia, I worked as a stock control analyst for a multinational, by night I was my father’s right hand in his fight for justice. Alongside that I was studying for my MBA in Business Administration.

As a lawyer, my father spent decades advocating for victims of child labour for illegal activities, deforestation, extortion, illegal mining, and drug trafficking. People came to us when they didn’t have the money to pay a lawyer. My father gave them help and sometimes we gave them a safehouse. We had a big house in Colombia. When children stayed, I tried to help them with their studies. So, I became deeply familiar with injustice. Because we exposed illegal activities, we had a lot of sensitive information about corruption and illegal activities.

The reason I had to leave my country is because I am my father’s daughter. For months I was persecuted by his enemies, who also became my enemies. I was constantly followed as they wanted to silence my father’s complaints. They knew everything about me. They knew where I worked, so I had to leave my job. They sent intimidating messages, warning me I was being watched and that my life was in danger. My father had to keep doing his job. It was too important. So, I sacrificed my life in order that he could continue.

New life, an ocean away

Leaving was hard because it was during COVID and I just wanted to be with my family. The whole world was staying at home and I had to move. But I didn’t have a choice. I never imagined living in France. My dream was to be a teacher in my country and to help people without the money to study. But it was not to be. When I arrived in France, I didn’t know how to speak French, I didn’t have family and I didn’t have any friends. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about France. I was alone through all this process. And it was not easy. I felt no one would be able to help me. But when I spoke with French people, they were so kind and helpful.

The weather might have been cold, but the people were warm. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life, but for the moment I was safe. That was the most important thing.

What I really wanted was an opportunity to work. To do that, I had to learn French and I had to go back to university. It was clear that if I wanted to join a company, I needed to study again. On my CV I had to show that I studied in French. In France, that’s really important. I had to study everything over again, this time in French. It was so hard, but when I finished my second Masters, I was ready. In my last year of mastering French, I found a job with IKEA. Honestly, study gave me the opportunity to find a company that I really like because of its values. The people there are really amazing. Work helped me with my friends, it also helped me to be part of society. IKEA gave me a job that I really like. It is in the supply chain, so I feel happy and at home.

Work gives you a sense of security when you arrive in another country. You feel wow, because you have an opportunity to show your professional abilities, your soft skill, your hard skill, everything. And it feels good.

Future dreams, think big

Now I live in a small studio, but I want to keep working and earn enough for a big house like I had in Colombia. Not only for me, but for my friends and family. The possibility to have space to exercise and invite people over to spend time in my garden is really important. I would also like to continue helping people in need. Now that I have finished my master’s degree, I would like to volunteer in activities that promote inclusion, equity and equality.

It’s really important that refugees have the opportunity to work and to study language. It’s important for them to understand their next step and to be able to pay their way.

Refugees are people. We are not looking for handouts. The opportunity to work, to use their abilities and to participate is everything. All we need is a chance.