Klara Kviberg
Case Western Reserve University - Weatherhead School of Management
Ron Fry
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The general aim is to provide work for immigrant women who would otherwise have severe difficulties entering the labor market.
Since 2006, Yalla Trappan has created new jobs for women who are furthest away from the labor market and who historically never have had a job. In addition, it introduces newly arrived immigrant women to the labor market by providing internship opportunities.
Yalla Trappan is a new kind of workplace that combines participation and empowerment with entrepreneurship. They are constantly working to identify the women's motivational factors and base their work on the skills the women bring with them and continue building from there.
"If you have never had a job you do not know what it is," says Christina Merker-Siesjö, the company's President.
Yalla Trappan gives training in everyday knowledge and answers practical questions that for others are quite obvious. They make sure that the women get the information they need to be active citizens. And learning the local language goes hand in hand with the various activities.
Christina grew up in a working class family and her life has always been characterized by solidarity and a strong driving force for equality. She's also a strong doer. Since childhood, she learned what it meant to start from nothing with only your own two hands. In the 60s, in her youth, she was elected student council president and there she learned the art of making herself heard and listened to.
Yalla Trappan is her high peak moment in life. In other words it is her life. Christina has been involved from start to finish -- from project manager to president of Yalla Trappan. She is now formally retired but continues to work with her passion to empower disenfranchised women.
She is a living example of a strong enthusiast and a change maker that challenges the structures in society. Thanks to that, Yalla Trappan has become a leading star in Sweden and an great inspiration for politicians and others.
Today Yalla Trappan employs 30 women in its three commercial branches: café and catering, a cleaning and conference service, and a sewing and design studio.
In 2006 when Yalla Trappan started off as a project, there were in the Swedish labor market a large number that were invisible -- middle-aged immigrant women without education. According to Christina, the general attitude towards these women was, "Let them stay at home and go on welfare."
This group was the one that was furthest from society and the one Yalla Trappan decided to invest in. Yalla Trappan has now become an initiative that is in the forefront. One proof is by the numerous visits they host weekly from all over the world.
What started out in 2006 as a project dependent on financial support from the European Social Fund, the City of Malmö, and ABF Malmö evolved into a self-contained social enterprise in 2010 that uses the knowledge and capabilities of its co-workers to run an innovative business characterized by a strong focus on social sustainability. Among several inspiring collaborations, Yalla Trappan has established a partnership with IKEA, the furniture and house wares company.
They carry their own costs and they have collective agreements and provide contractual wages. In six years the company has grown from 8 to 30 co-workers; 14 are employees and 16 are in training.
On the basis of Ingvar Nilsson's (professor of economics) socio-economic analysis and researched figures, Yalla Trappan has calculated that they have saved the Swedish government about 180 million Swedish crowns since 2010. The savings come from social insurance, income support through the municipality, unemployment compensation from the employment office, and last but not least, income taxes paid by employees that were formerly outside the workforce.
In addition to being an employer, Yalla Trappan contributes to women's increased self-esteem and confidence. "To have your own salary is in my opinion one of the biggest factors for an egalitarian society," says Christina. Now, the women have their own income and they can take bank loans for the first time in their lives.
The women of Yalla Trappan have become role models for other women in similar situations. It creates hope and confidence that rub off on their children. In these families, the norm is now that the mother goes to work and she is happy and self-confident. She also feels independent and can stand up for herself.
There are several stories gathered in Yalla Trappan’s book "The trip to Yalla: the book about the women of Yalla Trappan" which testifies to what Yalla Trappan has come to mean to each of them.
Some examples from a sustainable environmental perspective:
- They have their own plantations to grow spices they use in their cooking.
- When purchasing and manufacturing they put sustainability first as far as possible.
- With IKEA, they also have a recycling focus in all their production, where they re-use both old furniture and fabrics.
- In collaboration with hotels they receive old sheets to re-use in production.
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Christina Merker-Siesjö, President
