Chaimae has turned her vocational dream into reality after returning to Morocco: the Moroccan-German Information Centre on Migration and Vocational Integration supported her in opening a hairdressing salon.
My name is Chaimae and I’m 22 years old. I come from Nador, a coastal city in north-eastern Morocco. I moved to Germany in February 2020 to be with my husband. But then came the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Life was difficult and we had serious marriage problems. I eventually moved in with a family friend. I didn’t speak much German, so I had difficulty communicating and couldn’t find a job.
I submitted an asylum application, but it was refused. I moved to an immigration and refugee centre in Dortmund, where I spent another year. I finally decided to return to Morocco voluntarily.