27 July 2007

AMSTERDAM – The integration project ‘Meedoen: bouwen aan Burgerschap’ (Get involved: building on Citizenship) will be extended to include the whole city. The project, aimed at breaking the isolation of ethnic women, has been already been successful in the Amsterdam district De Baarsjes for some years. The municipality of Amsterdam wants to apply this method to the rest of city in the autumn or the beginning of next year at the latest.

A spokesperson for the city’s Work and Income Agency (DWI) confirmed this on Thursday following a press release in the daily newspaper Het Parool. Participation in the integration project is not entirely on a voluntary basis. Recipients of benefits who fail to cooperate will have their benefits cut. This is hardly ever the case because women are often highly motivated to participate.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2007]

Subject: Dutch news