Organization that is implementing
Bulgarian Red Cross
Country
Bulgaria
Duration of the Project
3 years
Level of
Implementation
Local
Target Group
Refugees
SDG’s
Project Overview
The major aim of the Project is to provide support to citizens of third countries, including those ones seeking and/or receiving international protection and promote a successful integration into Bulgarian society. Additionally, the project aims to allow refugees to make use of their own potential and that way accelerate the socio-economic development of the country.
A complex of measures is envisaged, using the capacity of local authorities to implement successful integration, as well as building a partnership between municipalities and representatives of the non-governmental sector, who have proven their experience in this field.
Main Activities
1 Inclusion in the labor market of newly arrived refugees through early assessment of their skills and qualifications, combined with language training, specialized guidance and mentoring;
2 Coordination of housing policies with equal access to employment, health care and health services; activities related to cross-sectoral interaction, including by strengthening communication between local, regional and national levels, including activities to provide housing support to persons granted international protection, related to other integration activities.
3 Building a model of interaction between municipalities/local authorities and NGOs in the provision of integration measures to GTD.
4 Ensuring access to specific mental health care for GTD;
5 Encouraging the exchange with the host society through voluntary, sports and cultural initiatives.
6 Building capacity to work with GTD at the level of municipalities and institutions.
More Information
How was the Project born?
During the past years, Vitosha and Oborishte Municipal District in cooperation with the Bulgarian Red Cross, as well other NGOs gained a lot of experience and expertise in the integration of resettled refugees. Through this partnership, it was possible to develop an initiative for the integration of resettled refugees. This project represents a higher step of this initiative, a long-term project.
Challenges
Non supportive local community (single cases)
How to Overcome?
Need for mediation with the local community
Impact on refugees or local community lives?
Provided integration support which includes housing as a basis for the integration
Is this project/program replicable and/or scalable?
Multifunctional cooperation model between NGOs and local authorities
Optimization of the integration process on a local level (finding a housing, enrollment in school is optimized when it is done by local and public body – the municipality)