Empowering Refugee Women to Rebuild Their Lives with Their Own Hands: The Birth of a Commercial Cleaning Business in Derby
In a world marked by displacement and struggle, refugee women face unique challenges as they seek to rebuild their lives with their families. The journey to finding stability, self-sufficiency and empowerment is often very challenging. Upbeat Communities wanted to provide an opportunity for life-changing employment for refugee women in Derby. After exploring 40 business options across many sectors, it became clear that a commercial cleaning business was the right solution.
Creating opportunities for empowerment
Our decision to start a commercial cleaning business stemmed from a deep understanding of the specific barriers faced by refugee women. Employment opportunities are crucial for integration, providing financial independence whilst fostering a sense of belonging simultaneously. Unfortunately, many refugee women face significant hurdles in securing suitable jobs, such as:
Language barriers
Limited work experience
Childcare challenges
Cultural differences
Through starting a commercial cleaning business, Upbeat Clean is able to provide opportunities for its staff to be empowered to rebuild their lives with the hard work and determination of their own hands. By establishing our own cleaning business, we could not only create employment for refugee women, but also provide them with a platform to gain work experience, enhance their language skills and build their confidence.
Partnering with organisations to transform lives
Recognising this gap, the charity identified the cleaning industry as an ideal avenue. Upbeat Clean didn’t want to try to fill this gap by itself. Instead, it wanted an opportunity to partner with other organisations across the city. Every large company has cleaners, so a commercial cleaning business is the perfect way for companies to transform lives by transferring a cost that they are already paying into a solution to a local challenge.
As a commercial cleaning business, we get the opportunity to partner with organisations across the city, enabling them to be part of our goal of transforming lives. From large venues like Derby Museums, Quad and DEDA to offices like Derby County Community Trust and Althaus, it all helps us here at Upbeat to continue to change people’s lives. Organisations that were looking for an excellent cleaning service for their venues and offices were able to redirect their resources to create the local social impact that they wanted to see.
Cultivating transferable skills
Operating a commercial cleaning business involves much more than simply cleaning. Through the training programmes we provide, refugee women are well-equipped with a diverse set of skills that extend far beyond the latest cleaning techniques. They also learn about customer service, time management, organisation and the importance of attention to detail.
All of the aforementioned transferable skills enhance their employability in other sectors as well, providing a stepping stone towards long-term career prospects. In the last 3 years, we have already seen many of our cleaners move on to other jobs in other sectors or get promoted within Upbeat Clean itself due to the skills that they have developed.
Building bridges & fostering integration
The commercial cleaning business also plays a vital role in fostering social integration within the wider community of Derby. By providing professional cleaning services to local businesses, Upbeat Clean serves as a bridge between refugees and the local community. The interactions and relationships forged through our work help to break down cultural barriers, challenge stereotypes and promote mutual understanding and acceptance.
We can see a great example of this in Upbeat Clean winning the Rising Star Award for Marketing Derby. This award gave a real profile to Upbeat Clean and with it, a recognition that one of the best cleaning businesses in Derby is largely and proudly managed and staffed by refugee women.
Additionally, the charity actively encourages the engagement of local community members in supporting and utilising the services offered by the cleaning business. This collaboration not only generates revenue but also creates a sense of shared responsibility for social inclusion. It enables the wider community to contribute to the empowerment and integration of refugee women while benefiting from quality cleaning services simultaneously.
A dedicated commercial cleaning business in Derby offering an unrivalled service every time
The decision of a charity to establish a commercial cleaning business in Derby to help refugee women is a testament to the power of innovative solutions in addressing complex societal issues. By focusing on creating opportunities for economic empowerment, fostering transferable skills and building bridges between communities, this initiative has transformed the lives of over 20 refugee women, enabling them to embark on a journey of self-sufficiency, independence and integration.
Through this commercial cleaning business, these resilient women are not only cleaning physical spaces but also reshaping the narratives surrounding refugee communities. Their unwavering determination, combined with the support of the charity and the wider community, is paving the way for a brighter future; a future in which refugee women can thrive, contribute and find their place in society.
If you would like further information about how we can help you with commercial or industrial cleaning services in Derby and the surrounding areas, then get in touch with a member of our friendly, professional team today - we’re always pleased to hear from you.