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| Ibrahim Ouassari, a Molenbeek resident who dropped out of school at age 13, founded MolenGeek to help young people overcome the disadvantages of growing up in the area |
Faced with poverty and discrimination, residents of Belgium's Molenbeek neighbourhood build their own alternatives.
"Welcome," he says, and the youngster's apprehension gives way to a cautious smile. "This place is now open for you."
The place is MolenGeek, an IT-focused community initiative tucked away amid the cobblestone streets and squat, run-down housing projects of Molenbeek, an impoverished neighbourhood of central Brussels.
Founded four years ago, it provides a creative outlet for the area's young people, many of whom are of North African descent.
"Most of the residents cannot find a job due to their profile - being Muslims, migrants, plus the fact that they live in the suburb of Molenbeek even, combined with the poor educational level," Ouassari explains.
Home to 92,000 people, Molenbeek has a 40 percent youth unemployment rate and is, according to the Brussels Institute of Statistics and Analysis (BISA), the third poorest municipality in the capital, with a median annual household income of 17,303 euros ($19,558) in 2016.
The school drop-out rate for second-generation residents of Molenbeek is 21 percent for boys and 15 percent for girls.
It is an experience Ouassari is familiar with. He was just 13 when he dropped out of school. "I couldn't find a job because of this either, also having no academic background, and after all, my name is Ibrahim and I live in Molenbeek," he says matter-of-factly.