Nonprofit Corporation WELgee ～Accompanying refugees on their job searches and committing to helping them rebuild their lives.～

People become asylum seekers when they are suddenly deprived of their usual daily lives and homeland due to various reasons such as various reasons such as persecution,nationality or membership of a particular social group or political opinion and so on. Some asylum seekers reach Japan as they flee here at the risk of their lives. The percentage of applicants granted refugee status by the Japanese government usually ranges from 1% to 4%. And it may take three to six years to be recognized as one. In the meantime, those who have applied spend their days without a clear and certain future, while continuing to renew their six-month residency status.
The Nonprofit Corporation WELgee(hereafter: WELgee) offers employment-focused programs to help people who have fled their home countries and arrived in Japan (here after "internationals*") not only to wait for their refugee status to be recognized but also to rebuild their lives. We interviewed Ms. Mao Narita, a WELgee's Training Program Division Project coordinator.
* At WELgee, they refer to the refugees involved with WELgee as "Internationals"　WELgee supports people whose lives are in danger and who are currently unable to return to their home country, including not only applicants for refugee status, but also recognized refugees, refugees in subsequent stages (such as former international students who have difficulty returning home), and evacuees (such as evacuees from Ukraine who are staying under specified activities or complementary protection)..

 

We assist with employment, which is the first step in rebuilding one's life.

WELgee was founded in 2016 as a voluntary organization, and was incorporated in 2018. WELgee was established initially by three students, and members began by meeting refugees in Japan. They were running shelters and shared houses. The following year, 2017, they started a career-related business, and WELgee has been there for refugees ever since.
"Some organizations help refugees with food, clothing, shelter, refugee status, and stability in Japan, but I think WELgee is the first to focus solely on finding work and rebuilding lives," says Ms. Narita.

 

Most of refugee status applicants who have been granted the residency status of "designated activities" are allowed to work. However, due to their Japanese language skills and the instability of their residency status, their options for employment are limited. And many are said to be leading a difficult life, moving from one survival job to another.
WELgee accompanies "internationals", to help them find work that makes use of their competence and expertise. WELgee also takes on the challenge of changing their residency status, which has been considered difficult to achieve in the past. WELgee, in collaboration with administrative scriveners and business associates, has successfully changed residency statuses from unstable (dependent on the outcome of an application for refugee status) to a stable status of residence in a specialized field (Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services).
In addition, measures for residency status are being taken to ensure that evacuees from Ukraine -and other people whose lives are in danger and who are unable to return to their home countries - can live stably in Japan. However, it remains difficult for these people to achieve the careers they desire and live the lives they want in Japan. WELgee assists those who are in life-threatening situations, and unable to return to their home countries, to help them build their careers.

 

Among their three programs （Training Program, Employment accompaniment programs (WELgee Talents), and Co-Creation Program）, they say they are particularly focused on the training program and employment accompaniment programs (WELgee Talents).
"In the training program, (those who receive support) will be briefed on Japanese culture and the characteristics of job hunting in Japan, and will conduct a self-analysis with Japanese mentors. Once internationals become clear about their strengths and what they want to do, we move on to the employment accompaniment program, and then match (mentees) with companies."

 

Maximize the use of experience, strengths, and aspirations to find employment and rebuild careers.

The Training Program Division, for which Ms. Narita serves as project coordinator, supports "internationals" to find employment by making the most of their experiences, strengths, and aspirations. As a preliminary step, WELgee offers a variety of programs tailored to the needs of "internationals"; including career education, Japanese language education, and skill development.
The first of these programs is a month-long career education program. "Internationals" learn about the distinctive Japanese corporate and recruitment culture through various seminars and opportunities to interact with pro bono workers and refugees who have already begun building their careers in Japan.
"In Africa, for example, it is common to be introduced to a job through a personal relationship, so there is no culture of job hunting. Since some people do not know about visiting job centers or using job search websites, we lecture them on basic information such as job hunting. (We establish) a foundation so that refugee people may continue their job hunting activities on their own, without depending on WELgee."

 

While involved in the training program, Ms. Narita says she feels the gap between the refugees' countries of origin and Japanese culture, on a daily basis.
"In some countries, folding one's arms is the highest form of respect for the other person. And in some cultures, people do not show their teeth, to protect their dignity. The cultural differences between home countries of 'internationals' and Japan may lead to misunderstandings without their realizing it. We want to value the heterogeneity of 'internationals' who are different from Japanese people, so we do not think that their learning of the Japanese language and their adaptation to Japanese culture necessarily need to be perfect. However, if their culture-based attitudes create misunderstandings with the Japanese, their opportunities may be diminished. (We support 'internationals') so that they can follow the minimum requirements of companies."

 

Hoping their competency and experience can be put to good use in Japan.

After the career education program, a three-month mentorship program begins. "Internationals" are paired with Japanese mentors. To enable the mentees to conduct their job-hunting activities on their own, mentors and mentees first explore mentees’ strengths and characteristics in depth. Then, together with mentors, mentees conduct self-analysis by organizing their past work experience, researching business types and occupations where they can make the most of their work experience, and setting goals for their job hunting.
Various people serve as mentors, including an enforcement officer of a large company, and a former company employee who is now a housewife raising a child. Mentees and mentors are to spend three months close together. The relationship can become like that of friends.
"The experience of communicating closely with Japanese people can become a tremendous asset for them. The time they spend building relationships with their Japanese mentors also builds their confidence, and sometimes a chemical reaction occurs between mentors and mentees."

 

After that, in the skill development programs, we offer hard work opportunities such as Japanese language training and annotation learning.
Mentees go through mock interviews and other activities before moving on to the employment accompaniment program. WELgee matches refugees with companies by utilizing the skills of the "internationals" through the implementation of the three supports: "training, recruitment, and establishment".
"About 80% of the refugees WELgee has connected with so far have graduated from college or graduate school. They also have a variety of skills and experience in terms of language and qualifications. We believe that both the experience of (refugees) in overcoming hardships and their positive attitude toward going through the process in the face of uncertainty are undeniably their strengths. The goal of our accompaniment support is to help them leverage their skills, experience, and vision to their advantage in Japan."

 

Their employment is not the final goal; support is provided until refugees work in a stable environment.

WELgee says that due to the promotion of diversity and inclusion, and increased interest due to the invasion of Ukraine, more and more companies are interested in hiring refugees. After WELgee matches refugees with companies, a career coordinator is assigned between a company representative and a potential candidate for employment. Then, through trial employment, WELgee supports refugees in the process of joining companies and settling in to work for an extended time. Some companies have chosen WELgee as their first choice for hiring foreign personnel because of WELgee's careful support system. The refugees are employed by a variety of companies and in various occupations; including designers, concrete R&D, programmers, and international NGOs.
"We believe that it is a win-win situation for both the refugees and the companies to be able to match refugees with companies that find their strengths and careers attractive, without being overly preoccupied with their status as refugees."

 

As for now, refugees targeted by the programs offered by WELgee are basically those who speak English and have a bachelor's degree or higher education. These conditions are necessary for the refugees to change their residency status and to work in a company.
"WELgee's employment accompaniment programs (WELgee Talents) can only help some of the refugees in Japan. However, even for those who are not eligible (for WELgee's support,) we would like to offer help in some way by utilizing the WELgee community. And we continue to challenge ourselves to explore the possibilities. When some of internationals first met WELgee, they did not have a bachelor's degree, but they managed to gain one through an online university by their own efforts, and then paved the way to their dreams. The function of (WELgee’s) community has been as important as our spirit since its establishment. Even if it is difficult for us to accompany (some of the refugees) in a program, we want to be there for them as much as possible, and we want them to utilize WELgee."

"WELgee changed my life."

Mr. N, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, came to Japan in 2019 at the risk of his life. After experiencing a month of being homeless, he began looking for work while living in a shelter. Although he was a programmer with rich experience and skills in his home country, he was continually rejected in Japan because of his Japanese language skills.
WELgee accompanied Mr. N for two years and, in 2022, he was finally hired by a business process outsourcing service company, as a programmer. Furthermore, in 2023, he succeeded in changing his status of residence to that of Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services. With his visa status changed, he was able to bring his family to Japan and was reunited with his wife for the first time in five years.
"Many refugees come to Japan alone, leaving their families behind. And some miss the birth of their children as a result. Mr. N told us that WELgee changed his life and that he could not have imagined this future when he arrived in Japan."

 

WELgee has placed 38 people in employment, and accomplished 13 changes of residency status (as of April 9, 2024). By the end of FY2025, WELgee aims to increase the number of cases in which refugee personnel are active in Japanese companies; from the current number of 38, to 100.
"To avoid being relegated to the margins of government decision-making and agendas, we need to increase the number of refugee recruitment cases and firmly prove their performance and economic value. We also hope that, by doing so, many Japanese people become aware of the current situation of the refugees, and that this will also allow us to think about what more we can do as a country, as a business, and as a society."

WELgee's challenge to help refugees rebuild their lives will continue toward a "society where we can build a future together, regardless of the refugees' circumstances."