KARIBU by BSF !

KARIBU is the name of the application created by Bibliothèques Sans Frontières (BSF) to quickly familiarize yourself with the French language and culture in order to facilitate the integration of foreign populations.

Very committed in favor of inclusion, the Michelin Corporate Foundation wanted to support the development of this application because integration in host countries begins with language.

Faced with this challenge, “Karibu” was initially designed in October 2022 to quickly familiarize Ukrainian refugees with the French language and culture. Free and very accessible, it allows you to acquire the basics necessary to carry out daily procedures: accommodation, healthcare, travel, enrolling your children in school, etc. It also includes professional modules – how to design your CV, take a job interview, highlight your professional skills, etc.

In 2023, thanks to the support of the Michelin Foundation and with the support of the Clermont-based CeCler association, the application was enriched with two languages: Arabic and Pashto.

And to facilitate professional integration, a new section “Working in France” has been added with a first module devoted to factory hygiene and safety. The content of the module was developed by educational engineers from Bibliothèques Sans Frontières, refugees, in cooperation with trainees from Michelin factories.

“With Karibu, our ambition is to create links and bridges between languages ​​and cultures so that the integration of foreign people in their host countries is beneficial to society as a whole. Access to employment plays a vital role in empowerment and therefore self-esteem, which is very often undermined by migratory journeys.” Jérémy Lachal, general director of BSF.