Participants and company volunteers came together to share knowledge, build connections and learn from one another. Watch the programme in action.
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Our programmes
Talent to build on.Careers to pursue.
Our programmes build on the skills and ambitions of women with refugee or migration backgrounds. Explore the Lotus Flower Programme and On Equal Terms, connecting career preparation with support beyond the job search.
Talent deserves to be recognised. At She Matters Foundation, we work alongside women with refugee or migration backgrounds in the Netherlands, helping turn their skills, experience and ambitions into employment.
Our programmes support women into employment and beyond, through the Lotus Flower Programme and On Equal Terms.
How it works
The Lotus Flower Programme
We develop the Lotus Flower Programme with corporate partners. Together, we combine practical career support with opportunities for women to build connections and explore the workplace.
The programme helps women build on their professional experience and prepare for work in the Netherlands. We develop and deliver it with a corporate partner, shaping the mix of activities around women’s ambitions and the company’s expertise.
Personal growth and confidence
Explore your strengths and what matters to you, building confidence through reflection, discussion and activities.
Explore what matters to you, recognise your strengths and build confidence through reflection, discussion and activities.
Professional and practical learning
Build on your experience through learning shaped with our corporate partner, from workplace communication to skills relevant to its sector.
Build on your experience through learning shaped with our corporate partner, from communication and personal branding to skills relevant to its sector.
Mentoring and connection
Share experiences with other women and connect with a mentor from the partner organisation to discuss your ambitions and next steps.
Exchange experiences with other women and connect with a mentor from the partner organisation to discuss your ambitions and next steps.
Wellbeing and empowerment
Make space for your wellbeing through activities that support confidence, self-expression and a sense of agency.
Make space for your wellbeing alongside your professional development, with activities that support confidence, self-expression and a sense of agency.
Programme highlights
Different partners. A shared purpose.
With support from Salesforce, the Lotus Flower Programme ran two cohorts in 2019, each with ten graduates. The collaboration included workshops and mentoring to support women with refugee and migration backgrounds as they prepared for work.
Beyond the job search
On Equal Terms
Confidence, communication and belonging at work.
Starting a job can bring new questions about confidence, communication and belonging. On Equal Terms grew from listening to women about their experiences after entering employment, including women placed through She Matters B.V. It creates space to reflect, share experiences and support one another.
On Equal Terms grew from listening to women after they entered employment, including women placed through She Matters B.V. It creates space to reflect, share experiences and support one another.
Recognising your value
Recognise your strengths, reflect on setbacks and explore how you see yourself at work.
Understanding what matters
Explore your personal values and how they shape your choices, relationships and ambitions.
Learning together
Share experiences with other women, hear different perspectives and build supportive connections.
Learning from these experiences can help us understand how everyday comments and assumptions affect others, even when we mean well. It gives women, colleagues and employers a starting point for building more respectful workplace relationships.
Our community
Different experiences. Ambitions worth knowing.
Meet a few of the women who have taken part in the Lotus Flower Programme. They are part of a wider She Matters community, each bringing her own skills, perspectives and hopes for what comes next.
Meet a few of the women who have taken part in the Lotus Flower Programme. They are part of a wider She Matters community, each bringing her own skills, perspectives and hopes for what comes next.
Hala
Administrative professional
An administrative professional from Syria with more than seven years of experience supporting management teams across education and professional services.
Yasmin
Civil engineer
A civil engineer from Syria whose experience spans university teaching and work with contracting companies.
Dareen
Front-end developer
A technology professional from Syria with front-end development experience who explored a new career direction in the Netherlands.
Get involved
Get involved
Be part of what comes next.
Interested in joining a future programme? Tell us about your interests. If your organisation could contribute funding, mentoring or professional expertise, let’s explore a partnership.