© Asghar Noor Mohammadi et Farshad Usyan
Text by Lucie Feutrier-Cook
Preface by Maylis Qaisi
Photographs by Asghar Noor Mohammadi and Farshad Usyan
Many migrant women in France are actively engaged, particularly in supporting other migrants and refugees. Yet their journeys and actions are still too rarely recognized. This publication by Synergies Migrations seeks to make migrant women more visible and highlights a well-established reality: migrant women actively contribute to the societies that receive them. Although this engagement is often discreet, many women from diverse backgrounds act with great effectiveness and humility.
We set out to portray five women who are quietly yet powerfully engaged in their communities —women from five different countries, each with unique backgrounds and experiences, who contribute locally in various ways. We sought to trace their paths of engagement and to understand why and how they act on a daily basis. These five women share a common ability to help tirelessly, despite their own challenges. They all express a desire for a more dignified and compassionate reception, and they convey a shared message of hope and courage, reminding us of the possibilities that France can offer while also relying on their own inner resources. In short, their message could be summed up in one sentence: “Believe in yourself, have confidence, stay courageous, overcome barriers, and above all, take your place.”
Through these testimonies, we aim to showcase the diversity of their journeys, their perspectives, and the diverse ways they take action. We also want to highlight the depth of their commitment and the multi-faceted role they play in French society. With this collection, Synergies Migrations pays tribute to migrant women as key figures in solidarity movements, access to rights, and reception initiatives. These are women who, having endured migration and integration firsthand, become powerful advocates—not only for other migrants but for the wider community. For some, this activism is a continuation of lifelong struggles for equality and human rights. For others, it is a natural progression—the desire to pass on what they have learned and support those in need.
This collection therefore aims to give a voice to these often invisible yet committed women, to create a space dedicated to them—an opportunity to unfold their stories and share their perspectives, analyses, convictions, and the ways in which their engagement takes shape.