Internet search giant Google has agreed to invest €200,000 in the Molenbeek-based start-up Molengeek, which helps young people from the parts of the commune considered difficult to learn to code. The start-up also provides entry into the world of business, by supporting spin-off companies.
“Everyone is welcome,” said founder Ibrahim Ouassari. “The only thing we ask of the young people is that they work hard and have a hunger for the job.”
The idea for Molengeek started in 2015, when Ouassari realised there was talent in the commune. He himself had learned to code at a young age, and had a business developing websites for companies. His aim, he told the VRT: to give back.
“Molengeek is not a youth club where you come to hang out,” he explained. “We come here to work. If someone comes in complaining he’s getting no opportunities, I tell him he won;t find them here either. He has to create them himself.”
As a result, the majority of the young people who pass through Molengeek find a job or at least a contract.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
