Organization that is implementing
Caritas Sofia
Country
Bulgaria
Level of
Implementation
Local
Target Group
Refugees and Asylum Seekers Refugee children Unaccompanied minors
SDG’s
Project Overview
The “Support for the Future” project provides support to the most vulnerable among those seeking international protection in the Republic of Bulgaria – unaccompanied refugee children.
Main Activities
The main task of the project is to ensure the right to childhood, a dignified and safe life, guaranteeing basic human rights of the most vulnerable groups of refugees – the unaccompanied refugee children.
The project envisages the provision of social and psychological support, assistance in accessing services, activities for child development and non-formal education, career guidance and personal development, active participation and cultural orientation, recreational activities, sports and excursions, workshops for building and applying skills and other support services. Within the framework of the project, work will be carried out with parents for support and motivation for the inclusion of refugee children in the Bulgarian education system.
The “Support for the Future” project of the “Migration and Integration” Department is based on the “Case Management” approach as a way of communication, organization and coordination between the responsible experts within the project.
Individual plans (for a period of 3 to 6 months) are drawn up, which contain goals and priorities in the following activities – “Access to services”, “Child development and non-formal education”, “Career guidance and personal development”, “Active participation and cultural orientation”. The approach is highlighted as a good practice by EURITA-IRC for working with refugees.
More Information
How was the Project born?
The create after successful partnership of Caritas Sofia, as a leading refugee assisting organisation and the Council of Refugee Women, as a refugee led organisation.
Caritas Sofia has long term experience welcoming people with respect and understanding. Here, our specialists carefully listen to people inquiries, prepare individual integration plans and provide support in follow-up services. Caritas Sofia is maintaining the Center for Integration of Refugees and Migrants “St. Anna”.
The “Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria” helps refugees and asylum seekers in the process of their successful adaptation and integration into the host society in Bulgaria. The experts of the CRWB work in the areas of “Social Mediation” and “Lobbying and Advocacy”. The organisation organize and conduct internal trainings for the team, specific trainings for professionals, develop new advocacy activities for the organization in individual cases.
Impact on refugees or local community lives?
Services will be provided to asylum seekers and unaccompanied minors in the Secure Zones in the registration and reception centers of the State Agency for Refugees in Sofia and Harmanli, as well as in the Center for Integration of Refugees and Migrants “St. Anna” of Caritas Sofia. Project activities are access to services (with a special focus on unaccompanied minors: preparation of individual plans and case management of unaccompanied children, referrals, translation, accompaniment, consultations multidisciplinary case discussion meetings), child development and informal education with a focus on unaccompanied minors and minors, career guidance and consultations, active participation and cultural orientation.
Is this project/program replicable and/or scalable?
The project addresses the needs of the most vulnerable among the refugees – the refugee unaccompanied children with focus on the development of their capacity for integration and future. The case manager has the responsibility to coordinate and support each person’s journey. He is the “intermediary” between the protection seeker, with a focus on unaccompanied children, and the other project experts who support their access to health, social, psychological services, non-formal education activities.