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Action research undocumented workers

Participate Directly

Project

Action research with people who are undocumented

Duration

June - November 2023

Funds

Human Aid Now, Kansfonds, Haella Foundation

Product

Action Research

Project description

A collective of wealth funds in Amsterdam made it possible during COVID-19 to provide food to 17,000 people through an alternative food bank. Of this group of people, 80% turned out to be undocumented. Several years later, 6,000 people still depend on this assistance. While at least 4,000 of them are willing and able to work or are directly dependent on someone who is willing and able to work. Potentially, these people who can and want to work would not need this food aid. However, they do not have the proper documents to work in the Netherlands. 

Research question

How can we work with these people to realize self-sufficiency? In such a way that we learn what the possibilities are, despite the legal restrictions? By definition, this means exploring unconventional and creative solutions, because the regular routes (through work) are not accessible. 

Results & insights

With Action Research, we supported 10 people who use the food bank, but have the potential to be self-sufficient. Together with them, we explored what steps they could take within the Amsterdam context to build livelihoods for themselves (and their families). 

The power of communities

An overarching insight is the great capacity of people to support each other. Here we see the greatest opportunities for realizing and scaling up informal solutions within the current legal framework. Amsterdammers with or without ('the right') documents, local residents, social organizations, communities; people show that there is support to contribute to subsistence security for people who are undocumented.

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This project was supervised by:

project manager

Sandrine Lafay

Action Research Team-Leader

They also participated in this project

Rodrigo Ferraz

Action Researcher

Yaman Attar

Action Researcher

Hans Hemels

Action Researcher

Renée Frissen

Founder and director

Mahad Hussein

Action Researcher

Jolien de Vries

Action Researcher
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