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Description
The main goal of the project is to ensure the right to childhood and to guarantee basic human rights to unaccompanied minors and to provide help for a dignified and safe living to the most vulnerable amid the asylum seekers, arriving to the Republic of Bulgaria. The project will deliver services to asylum seekers with priority to the unaccompanied minors. With the support and mediation of social work assistants, social workers and psychologists unaccompanied minors would have the opportunity to build trust connection and receive access to urgent help, psychological support and adaptation assistance. Thus, the team would work to upgrade basic services, which are able to provide for their physical survival. Further measures will be focused on building life skills and habits, literacy, access to education, among others. The project envisages activities such as financial literacy courses, Bulgarian language courses, access to and getting acquainted with the labor market, events and meetings with the host society and culture, as well as citizen orientation sessions, cultural, sports and entertaining events. As part of the development of civic competencies, volunteering will be encouraged among third country nationals residing in Bulgaria with the aim to mentor and support those new comers, asylum seekers in the country
The project will also have an overall impact on the improvement of co-operation and capacity of field work and collaboration with national institutions.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to improve conditions and national capacity for the reception of asylum seekers in Bulgaria, with a particular focus on unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors often face difficulties accessing social, educational, and healthcare services. The project worked to bridge this gap by facilitating access to these services through social workers, psychologists, and other professionals who could build trust and provide support. Тhe project aimed to enhance individualized care and ensure a more structured and effective support system. The project addressed services for psychological and social adaptation, integration into the host society for asylum seeking children.
The project provided services and support for asylum seekers, in particular unaccompanied minors. A team of social workers, psychologists and cultural mediators took care of overcoming the difficulties of the refugees in the process of settling in the country and for their faster adaptation. A number of support services were provided, such as accompaniment to various public institutions, doctor''s appointments, document consultations, psychological consultations, school enrollment, basic Bulgarian language literacy, career counseling and orientation, etc. The project provided non-formal education and recreational activities for asylum-seeking children, such as excursions to historical, cultural and nature sites, creative workshops, celebration of local and international holidays, sports events/games, health sessions, meetings with mentors. Unaccompanied minors and children seeking international protection were actively included in games, sports, recreational activities, non-formal education, skills-building workshops, health and hygiene sessions, literacy classes in Bulgarian, and a pilot bonus program promoting trust and responsibility. Parents were supported and motivated to encourage their children''s integration into the educational system. The provision of information and easier access to organizations and institutions providing administrative, health, social and other services is a key factor for the easy adaptation of unaccompanied children and their further integration in the country.
Nearly 4,000 asylum seekers in Bulgaria benefited from services provided within the project. The services related to active participation and cultural orientation, child development and non-formal education, access to services, career guidance and personal development.
Within the framework of the project more than 1 100 unaccompanied minors (UAMs) seeking asylum in Bulgaria were supported. Their access to healthcare, education and social support was improved. The project directly contributed to ensuring the right to childhood and a dignified life for one of the most vulnerable groups—unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Bulgaria. By strengthening institutional capacity and providing targeted support, the project not only improved the immediate conditions of these children but also laid the foundation for their long-term integration and well-being.
The project’s activities contribute for strengthened cooperation between government institutions, NGOs, and international organizations in managing asylum-seeker support.The capacity for fieldwork and individualized case management was improved. A more structured and humane approach to integrating asylum seekers, reducing social tensions, was implemented.