Yalla Rinkeby

At ByggVesta, it is important to us to take responsibility for the development of the entire community in the places where we operate. One successful initiative that ByggVesta helped to establish is Yalla Rinkeby. The initiative was launched in 2016, inspired by the women’s cooperative Yalla Trappan in Rosengård, Malmö, and the valuable lessons learned there.

The goal of Yalla Rinkeby and similar community-based initiatives is to create jobs, increase economic independence, and support integration into the local community.

Our approach is to listen to the people who live in the area, understand their needs, and then find ways we can contribute to positive neighborhood development. Yalla Rinkeby’s catering operations are an example of how our engagement has created unique collaborations between the private and public sectors through work training and language training for women.

ByggVesta’s owners Laurie McDonald Jonsson and Jenny Jonsson have both been driving forces and passionate advocates for Yalla Rinkeby since the very beginning.

When the City of Stockholm decided to deck over the E18 highway to create 400 new homes on the new Rinkebyterrassen, we saw an enormous opportunity – not only to build high-quality housing close to the nature of Järvafältet, but also to contribute to the development of a neighborhood with great potential.

We know how to build excellent housing. But we want to make the world better with our buildings – and that requires more than just construction.

We wanted to understand what the people of Rinkeby most needed from us beyond new housing. That’s why we conducted surveys and held hundreds of personal meetings. We spoke with over 1,000 residents in the area, and after a community vote it became clear that many wanted a place for women to develop. Our initiative was named Yalla Rinkeby. With a focus on community benefit, care, and long-term commitment, we wanted to create new opportunities in Rinkeby.

Today, Yalla Rinkeby is a restaurant and catering business that provides opportunities for immigrant women who are far from the conventional labor market. The initiative supports them in finding work, improving quality of life, and above all, integrating into society. Each year, around 20 women are referred to the program via social services and the employment agency. Of these, 25–45% move on to jobs or studies. The personal development that comes from learning Swedish, belonging to a community, and experiencing work life is invaluable and cannot be reduced to statistics alone.

ByggVesta’s commitment to Yalla Rinkeby remains strong today – both in terms of time and financial resources. All surplus from catering, the café, and product sales goes directly back into the business.