With little education or work experience, many women who migrate to Sofielund, in Malmö, Sweden, find it difficult to step onto the career ladder. In fact, not only are they unlikely to work, they are at high risk of being isolated in their own homes, cut off from the rest of society.

Now, with help from ESF funding, social enterprise Yalla Sofielund offers women the opportunity to be part of a co-operative, working in one of three commercial businesses: a café and catering service, a cleaning and conference service, or a sewing and design studio. The types of work offered are no coincidence; the project builds on knowledge that most of the women have gained from working at home, unpaid, all their lives.

Yalla Sofielund, which is part of Sweden's larger Yalla Trappan social enterprise, now has 35 employees, all of whom are being supported to become more independent