Civic integration and vocational training - Municipality of Woerden
Civic integration is faster when you are active in society
Fakhroldin Palizban
Fakhroldin feels at home everywhere. As an entrepreneur, he sees opportunities everywhere. So, he started one initiative after another in the Netherlands as well. Because he is so active in society, his civic integration in combination with language lessons is progressing particularly fast.
Fakhroldin is an engineer and in Iran he had a growing company in oil platforms, a large, beautiful house, and a new car in the driveway. As an entrepreneur, he has always been flexible of mind. So when it became clear that it was no longer safe for him in Iran, he decided
to travel to Europe with his wife and sons. After three months, the family arrived in Woerden.
Friends are important to me. That is why I also want to learn Dutch well and understand the country better
Sports
In the asylum seekers' center, after some time, he set up a gym together with others. 'You saw people getting fatter every day. So we made sure they started exercising.' The entrepreneurial Fakhroldin, who speaks both Arabic and English, soon caught the attention of the volunteers working at the asylum seekers' center. Through one of them, he was asked to start translating for an export company. This went so smoothly that he soon got more work as an interpreter-translator, both outside and inside the asylum seekers' center.
Friendship
‘I am curious and always want to develop myself. So I have already done many training courses. Internationally too. As a result, I have friends all over the world. Friends are important to me. That is why I also want to learn Dutch well and understand the country better. Dutch people appreciate it when you do your best to speak the language.’ Fakhroldin followed a civic integration path at TopTaal. He started with level A1, and quickly completed A2 and B1. He followed the path in the evening, so that he could go to technical school during the day. He also finds it important that his wife and sons master Dutch well. ‘My sons already speak Dutch very well and my wife Yasmin, who is very beautiful and smarter than I am, is going to take a follow-up course at TopTaal.’
I had a great teacher. She is very involved and also helped with other things that weren't for school
He is very enthusiastic about the lessons at TopTaal. ‘I had a great teacher. She is very involved and also helped with other things that weren't for school. She made the lessons fun. But it wasn't easy. I still don't understand the difference between ‘de’ and ‘het’.’ Fakhroldin takes the language lessons seriously. ‘In Iran, you can start a business and then you are in business immediately. Here, it is much more difficult. Language lessons are therefore the door to your future.’