Zeyneb Mohammady

Zeyneb Mohammady has been a member of the City of Bocholt's Committee for Equal Opportunities and Integration (ACI) since 1 June 2026. Through her personal story and her dedicated commitment, she is setting an example for an inclusive city. She also has a clear view on the collaboration between the ACI, the local authority and Bocholt City Council: "It is important to hold discussions with decision-makers in the run-up to decisions".

Zeyneb Mohammady was born on 23 September 2002 in Jaghouri, Afghanistan. Her parents are Saleha and Amanullah Mohammady; she has five siblings: Zahra, Reza, Shahnaz, Setare and Samira. In 2022, she completed her A-levels at Kapu/St Josef Gymnasium in Bocholt. After a year of part-time work, she began an apprenticeship as a surgical technician in 2023. She passed her final examination in 2026; she has been in permanent employment at St Agnes Hospital - Klinikum Westmünsterland since 1 July.

Zeyneb arrived in Bocholt in 2015. She recalls that, although she was only 13 at the time, she was able to rely on the support of the local authority, the Jobcentre and EWIBO right from the start. In her account, the help she received from the Immigration Office/EWIBO, her visits to the Stadtsparkasse, and moving into her first flat, as well as starting school and finding work, played a central role. They found their first flat at Theodor-Heuss-Ring 23. Shortly afterwards - they had only just given the flat a thorough clean and adapted it to their needs - they moved into larger accommodation on Pommernstraße. From there, they moved to Margeritenweg, where she still lives today with her entire family. Key sources of support during this time were the teaching staff and local institutions: Mrs Ewig as her class teacher, as well as contacts with businesses such as her father's employers, Hans and Barbara Bauhaus.

Commitment and networks in Bocholt

She made her first contact with what was then still the Integration Council through Ms Nalan Yurdakul, who had invited her to a meeting of the Bocholt List. Through the Integration Office and her own association, Zeyneb entered into dialogue with other key figures. This enabled her to help organise events such as the LWL Family Festival and to build relationships with key figures in the integration sector, notably the Integration Officer Bruno Wansing, with whom she remains in regular contact to this day.

She was particularly influenced by Ataf Chaudhry from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Bocholt - "he's always there, helps out enthusiastically, is reliable and a real role model." She remained active in the voluntary sector: Together with Hussaindad Rezai, she founded the Afghan Cultural Association in 2021. In March 2024, a split within the Afghan Cultural Association led to the formation of two separate associations; Zeyneb remained at the helm of the successor organisation, Afghan Hazara Deutsche Gemeinschaft Bocholt e.V., with Sakine Mohammadian as chairperson.

Core concerns and focus of her work

Zeyneb emphasises that integration is achieved first and foremost through education, language and clear guidance for young people: "I'm also concerned about older people, but above all about the young people who are new to this country." She points out that young immigrants are often faced with the question of which type of school suits their abilities. ""Of course, they don't know the differences between Hauptschule, Realschule, Gesamtschule and Gymnasium from their home country,"" emphasises Zeyneb Mohammady.

A second issue is the situation facing women. "That's why I founded the association back then", says Zeyneb Mohammady, "to give women the opportunity to articulate their views and wishes and to voice them." It is often the case that women in the various communities hold back and do not go public in the first place. "I want to change that, which is why I'm involved not only in my association but also in the ACI."

Another key focus is the language of origin: "In the Borken district, Persian and Dari are not offered as part of language-of-origin teaching; we need to keep pushing on this so that parents understand that they must fill in the form provided at the start of the school year, even if their own language isn't listed. I see great potential, particularly with regard to this form and the process for accessing mother-tongue instruction. However, the Borken District Education Authority also has a role to play here."

From Zeyneb's point of view, things are going well in Bocholt compared to larger cities - she says the relationships between the clubs in particular are positive. However, before the council makes any decisions, she calls for discussions with those affected in order to find suitable solutions: "In the run-up to decisions, it is essential to hold discussions with the key people involved to explore what solutions are possible." Within the ACI, she sees room for further development and is committed to constructive cooperation.

On 11 July 2026, she travelled to the State Integration Council - where she serves as deputy delegate for the ACI Bocholt - together with Selda Koldamca to attend the LIR's general meeting. There, Abdulkadir Kis, chair of the Bocholt List within the ACI, was also elected as an assessor to the State Integration Council's executive committee. She noticed there, as did Selda Koldamca, that - in contrast to the practices within the ACI - there is considerable room for improvement regarding "meeting discipline and order%$. ""We're not used to that in Bocholt; here, everyone has the opportunity to speak and to finish their contribution."" Furthermore, as newcomers, they were always addressed in Turkish during the breaks, rather than in German. "That really annoyed me", said Zeyneb Mohammady, "I can speak Turkish, but I come from an Afghan family."

In 2023, for the first time, there was a pair of patrons for Intercultural Week 2023, comprising Zeyneb Mohammady and Annette Grümer-Weyers. They paved the way and served as role models for those who followed, having attended and supported almost every one of the diverse events held in 2023 under the theme "New Spaces".