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Searching for better opportunities

Ein junger Mann mit blauer Jacke und brauner Wollmütze sitzt auf einem roten Motorrad und schaut in die Kamera. Hinter ihm sind Bäume zu sehen.
Haroon is happy being self-employed as a driver, and to have an income as well as flexible hours.

Searching for better opportunities

My name is Haroon and I’m 25 years old. I come from Lahore, the capital of Punjab province in Pakistan. I went to Turkey in 2014 to look for work, and then moved on to Germany in 2018. I spent two years working in a restaurant there to provide a better life for my family. I was away from home for such a long time. At the end of 2020 I decided to return to my family, though I was still worried about how I would support them.

Fortunately, I was helped by the Pakistani-German Facilitation and Reintegration Centre (PGFRC). I’m now self-employed as a driver for the Pakistani transport service Careem.

Before I left Germany, a reintegration counsellor put me in touch with the PGFRC team in Lahore. We spoke over a video call about the opportunities I would have after returning to Pakistan. I was keen to become self-employed, so the PGFRC told me about the different business opportunities available. After several conversations, I decided to work as a driver for the Pakistani transport service Careem. Various programmes and organisations helped me with my travel arrangements or gave me financial assistance. I finally arrived back in Pakistan in December 2020.

I work under my own conditions

I went to visit the PGFRC in Lahore after I got back, and went to a lot of individual counselling sessions. I completed a business development training course as well as a training scheme to improve my commercial skills. This helped me learn how to best use my time and my skills. I learned about ways to increase my income. I also took part in a training course about how to grow a business, and I was given a helmet and a motorbike. Starting as a driver at Careem meant that I needed my own motorbike. Now I have a regular income, and at the same time I have flexible working hours. The tips I got from the training courses have inspired me to always be on the lookout for new opportunities to use my motorbike to provide additional delivery services.

Always be confident

I was very worried when I decided to leave Germany, because I didn’t know what kind of future I would have in Pakistan. I was afraid it would be difficult to support my family. But now I’m grateful for the help and advice I got from the PGFRC. And I’m proud to be financially independent. I’m still in touch with the team of advisors at the PGFRC. We regularly chat about how I can develop both myself and my business. My tip is to believe in yourself and be confident!

As of: 02/2022

The opportunities for advice and assistance described here are offered as part of “Returning to New Opportunities”.

Learn more >

Help with Haroon’s return home

Those involved in Haroon’s successful return include:

I’m proud to be self-employed and financially independent.
Haroon

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