Coding courses for migrants in Croatia
The NGO Borders None takes in asylum seekers and provides them with courses for the IT sector, where there is currently a labour shortage.
Seated at a table in an open space, a dozen migrants listen attentively to Ivan, a web developer and teacher with the NGO Borders None. On the outskirts of Zagreb, in the Travno district, they have all come to this space, which looks like a start-up, to learn the basics of computer programming. Whether asylum seekers or political refugees, they attend this course with the aim of finding a job. Most are beginners, but they are eager to learn and improve their skills.
They all introduce themselves. Milan, of Russian origin, admits that he doesn’t know much about computers, but he wants to learn because he has heard there’s demand for workers in the sector. Amara Cissé, who arrived from Sierra Leone last March, has never done any coding before, but follows Ivan’s advice attentively.
Sitting at the end of the table, Hélène, a Ugandan refugee, is no stranger to coding. “I have basic knowledge of computers,” she says. “I was already doing some coding in Kampala before I left. Now I’m going to improve my skills so that I can apply for a job in Zagreb.” For the next two hours, these migrants will start learning how to create their own website. “You see, right now I’m writing in HTML and CSS. Programming languages provide syntax that enables you to create your own home page”, says Ivan, a Croatian volunteer.
By the end of the class, Ivan is exhausted. While the language barrier, as well as the shortcomings of some of the students, are a challenge, he is not discouraged. “We’re going to succeed with these students. Our programme lasts nine months. They’ll succeed”, he says confidently. In total, more than fifty students are taking the course.
Digital literacy
The programme that Ivan is talking about is Coders without borders. Developed by the NGO and funded by the European Union, it offers these migrants accelerated training in coding for four hours a week, free of charge. When their level is more advanced, they will learn to code in JavaScript, an essential language for landing a job with a company.
The programme is one of Borders None’s main attractions. The other courses on offer include Croatian and English. At the NGO, which works mainly with refugees aged between the ages of 18 and 50, each volunteer has years of experience working with asylum seekers.
Classes in digital literacy are also offered: how to polish up a CV or cover letter, how to manage an email account and store data… essential skills for budding web developers. Through the NGO‘s DNA runs the ambition to give these people the digital tools they need to take their destiny into their own hands, and prepare them for a world that is constantly evolving.
Each of the NGO’s volunteers is assigned a specific job. Ward Obeid, 28, is in charge of the programming courses. “The aim is for the students to be able to create a website by the end of the course. We give them a certificate, which they can put in their CV”, explains Ward.
As a former Syrian refugee who arrived in Europe nine years ago, Ward Obeid knows what these migrants have been through and how to talk to them. He joined the project in February 2024 because he himself benefited from such courses a few years earlier in Spain. “I’ve been in their shoes, so the NGOs reached out to me. We’ve been through similar tragedies. I know that feeling of arriving in a country and being totally lost. As the person in charge of the programming courses, I can provide professional help”, he concludes, with evident emotion. Every month, Ward Obeid arranges visits to start-ups and companies in Zagreb with his students, to introduce them to potential recruiters.
The obstacle course
Once the “Coders without borders” course is complete, finding a job in Croatia is no less of an obstacle course. In a Zagreb café, Abdul Hussein looks pensive as he reflects on a year of unsuccessful canvassing. After arriving from Syria in 2018, he obtained political asylum and learned to code. Geeky and reserved by nature, he has always been drawn to screens and software, his speciality. But for the last eight months, every door has been shut in his face.
“It’s very difficult to find a job in Croatia if you’re a refugee. Every time I send in a CV or go for interviews, I get the same answer: they chose another candidate, even though they still need people. I’ll keep trying for a few months, then I’ll move to another country”, mutters the disillusioned young man.
Others have had more luck. After learning Croatian with Borders None, Semih Adigüzel, 30, from Izmir in Turkey, finished his studies at Zagreb University. Today, he still talks to the NGO about his path towards integration. “When I was granted political asylum, I could see the difference in the way people looked at me. Before, Croatians looked at me with fear. That’s all in the past now.”
Although the beneficiaries of the NGO’s training courses have very different backgrounds, they are all determined to integrate into Croatian society. Still wearing his black coat and a cap screwed down tight, a tall man in his fifties has been timidly following all the lessons since early morning. Thanks to the translation application DeepL, we learn that his name is Viktor and that he is originally from Eastern Russia.
A member of the Russian Special Forces until 2020, Viktor fought for Moscow in numerous wars, including Chechnya in the 1990s. Three years ago, he deserted the special forces and travelled around several countries before ending up in Croatia in December 2023. “I’m not afraid to talk to you today. It’s the dawn of my new life. I want to learn Croatian, IT and live in Croatia. And who knows? Maybe I’ll even be able to start a new family,” he says.
Learning Croatian is one of the key steps towards integration, as illustrated by the case of Wassim Najeb, 26, a former engineering student from Idlib, Syria. “That’s the only way for me to become part of society. I’m young and I’m hopeful. I don’t want to wander from country to country like a washed-up migrant. I’ll work harder than the others if I have to,” he says with determination.
Helping migrants fine-tune their asylum cases
The Borders None team also has a “legal aid” hub, perhaps one of the most important for refugees, where lawyers and legal advisers help asylum seekers to fine-tune their cases to obtain the right to remain in Croatia.
Adele Immediata, 26, has worked as a volunteer for two months, dealing with the cases of the asylum seekers. After working on the ground in Calais, Ventimiglia and Greece, she has specialised in legal assistance. “We help them with their asylum applications as well as regularisation procedures such as obtaining work permits. We set up appointments with them, and accompany them to the administration offices”, Adele explains.
In order to put together a solid application, Adele needs to know about each person’s past, and in particular what they have been through: physical violence, trauma, conflicts in their country of origin… disturbing stories that migrants often prefer to keep to themselves. “It’s very frustrating, because sometimes they won’t talk to me about it, which I understand, but it would help them with their cases,” explains Adele.
The next day, the NGO’s activities coordinator met us in Zagreb city centre. At just 27, Eleonora Nicolaci has been working to help refugees for years. She recognises that the situation for asylum seekers in Croatia is one of the most complicated in the European Union:
“It’s very hard to obtain asylum here, compared to most other EU countries. Because of their geographical position in Europe, they are the first stop on the migratory route, and they don’t want refugees. The asylum process can take several years, if it’s successful… That’s why we work with lawyers and legal assistants to facilitate these procedures.”
Although Croatia only joined the Schengen area on 1 January 2023, almost 70,000 people have arrived illegally in the country in less than one year, mainly from neighbouring Bosnia. In this country of barely 4 million inhabitants, NGOs regularly accuse Croatia of forcing migrants back to the border, often violently.
Zagreb has always denied this, despite police officers confirming the accusations in the press back in 2021. Croatia was one of the main waypoints on the Balkan route used by hundreds of thousands of men, women and children fleeing wars in 2015 and 2016. Almost ten years later, smaller numbers of migrants continue to use the route, arriving in Croatia via Bosnia or Serbia.
According to the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), during the first nine months of 2023, 2,559 people reported being violently turned back towards Bosnia. These illegal crossings of the Croatian border have become particularly risky, and accidents are not uncommon. The country’s police force has earned a reputation for being one of the worst towards migrants.
Today, Croatia is still considered a transit country, due to its poor reception conditions and Kafkaesque asylum system. Neither procedures nor attitudes have changed since Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area in 2023. For the most part, Croatians remain relatively unwelcoming towards refugees.
Democratic rollbacks
The figures speak for themselves: 78 percent of refugees in Croatia say they are just passing through, and that they want to continue their journey to other countries. “It’s true that they don’t see Croatia as a favourable country, as one that is inclined to receive them. There are others who don’t see the country as multicultural, due to their religion or skin colour. All these factors mean that most don’t stay”, concludes Eleonora. Since the beginning of 2024, several “anti-migrant” demonstrations have taken place in the country, influenced by similar events in Bulgaria and Hungary.
For Loïc Tregoures, a doctor of political science and a specialist in the Balkans, “there have been successive democratic rollbacks since Croatia joined the EU, especially when it comes to corruption and treatment of the media”. However, these tensions have no direct effect on Borders None, whose funding comes exclusively from the European Union.
The NGO’s volunteers can therefore continue to provide support to migrants who request it. Aside from the coding courses, Borders None also acts as a second family, making the migrants’ journeys at least a little more comfortable. Recently, they all celebrated Eid, with each refugee bringing a dish from his or her country.
When personal, family or psychological problems arise, Eleonora and the volunteers work tooth and nail to find solutions. “This involves very practical emergency aid,” Eleonora explains. “Where to buy a SIM card or a bus ticket, how to find a doctor… They are disorientated when they arrive, so we guide them as best we can. And if, after a few months, some get a job thanks to our courses, then we’ve won!”
This article was produced as part of The Newsroom 27 competition, organised by Slate.fr with the financial support of the European Union. The article reflects the views of the author and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for its content or use.
