Here in Switzerland, I feel at home for the first time

Jawad Ibrahimi comes from Afghanistan, and when he fled Iran for Switzerland nine years ago, he was unable to read or write. Today, the young man is doing an apprenticeship as a bricklayer at Landis Bau AG in Zug. We reported on his story on National Refugee Day on 21^st June.
 

It’s hard to believe that 32-year-old Jawad Ibrahimi had never attended school before arriving in Switzerland in 2016. The Afghan-born man seized the opportunities offered to him, learned to read and write and to speak German, passed his driving test after only two years and, in 2023, obtain a vocational certificate as a bricklayer as the best graduate in Central Switzerland. He then applied to numerous companies in order to complete his follow-up apprenticeship as a bricklayer EFZ. He found what he was looking for at Zug-based Landis Bau AG, where he started his training last summer.

But his path up to then had been difficult. In 1997, at the age of five, Ibrahimi fled from Afghanistan to Iran with his mother and sister after the Taliban destroyed their village and murdered his father. Years later – when Ibrahimi had grown up and was working as a stonemason – the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which is internationally recognised as a terrorist organisation, began forcibly recruiting young men from the refugee camp in Tehran for their war in Syria.

Instead of 10, there were 60 people on the boat
Ibrahimi fled the country in a hurry and without being able to say goodbye to his family. A good friend whom he had contacted in his hour of need brought him his savings and the bare essentials from home. The young man then set off on foot, by bus and by boat on his traumatic six-month journey through 15 countries. It took him through Turkey to Greece, and from there to Western Europe.

‘I joined a group, and we walked into Turkey day and night over steep mountains ,’ he says. Along the way, he saw old people who had died of exhaustion. ‘No one took care of them.’ They had paid horrendous sums to smugglers and bribed border officials to get through. ‘The rubber boat we used to cross the sea was designed for 10 people, but there were 60 people on it. Fortunately, the weather was good.’

Jawad Ibrahimi had never attended school until he arrived in Switzerland in 2016. Today, he is a trained bricklayer, and lives with his family in Ebikon.    
From darkness to light: Jawad Ibrahimi was able to put his traumatic experiences behind him and is now fully integrated in Switzerland              Photos: Stefan Kaiser
 

Haunted by nightmares
For a long time, Jawad Ibrahimi was plagued by nightmares. He was not allowed to work and had no contact with his wife, his two children and his sister, who had stayed behind in Iran. ‘That was very difficult for me.’ But the young man did not give up: he attended language courses and continued to study hard, supported by another refugee who already spoke German and by Peter Balzarini and his wife Juliette Landon, a Swiss couple from Meggen with whom he still maintains close contact today. ‘They did so much for me,’ he says gratefully.

Through the Lucerne integration programme, the young Afghan learned about the Swiss vocational training system. After passing the entrance exam, he was admitted to the EBA bricklaying apprenticeship, which he completed at Gebrüder Brun AG in Emmen. In the meantime, his wife and children were also allowed to enter the country. The family now lives in Ebikon, where the children attend school and his wife works at Confiserie Bachmann. Everyone is doing well.

Except for those he had to leave behind: his mother has unfortunately passed away, and his sister still lives in Iran with her husband and three children. ‘I’ve tried to help them leave the country, but so far without success,’ Ibrahimi laments.

His interest in construction runs deeper
The young father could now take a more relaxed approach to his everyday life. So why is he pursuing an EFZ apprenticeship? "With certificate training, you only learn part of the profession. But I'm also interested in the deeper aspects of construction, such as how and with what materials buildings are constructed here, which methods are particularly sustainable, and so on," explains the young Afghan.

The salary also plays a role, as it is higher with the training than without. ‘During the apprenticeship, Landis Bau doesn't pay me a basic apprentice wage, but 80% of the wage of a fully trained worker,’ he clarifies. Without this concession, the money would not be enough for his family.

He can also imagine completing his training as a foreman after finishing his apprenticeship and taking on management tasks. ‘Professionals are in high demand.’ In order to be able to climb further up the career ladder, he is continuing to improve his German skills by attending an intensive language course at evening school.

‘I love my job’
‘I would never have thought it possible that you can do so much in Switzerland and that I have the same rights as Swiss citizens,’ says Ibrahimi.

He can no longer remember Afghanistan, and Iran never became his home. ‘Here in Switzerland, I feel at home for the first time.’ Those who are born here often don't realise how lucky they are. ‘Sometimes I tell them that, so that they learn to appreciate it.’

He admits that it's not easy to manage his busy daily schedule. ‘But I love my job, it makes me strong every day. I look to my future and my family, and that makes me happy,’ emphasises Jawad Ibrahimi, adding heartily: ‘Many, many thanks to Switzerland and Landis Bau and everyone who has helped me.’