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Description
According to data from the crisis headquarters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 175,812 Ukrainian citizens arrived in Bulgaria by April 2022. Half of them stayed in the country. In the Stara Zagora region, the two partner organizations urgently organized their resources and organizational capabilities to mobilize the institutional capacity and the capacity of NGOs and informal groups and activists in the region to welcome the wave of refugees. Nearly 350 persons were identified - mostly mothers and children, accommodated at external addresses, hotels, municipal bases and social services in the cities of Stara Zagora, Kazanlak, Gurkovo. A number of meetings were held for the urgent coordination of actions. Systematic efforts in this direction are needed to build a sustainable local policy for the reception and integration of arriving refugees, with which the project will contribute. The presence of sufficient awareness on the part of the institutions among the refugees is essential for their integration and the prevention of abuses. The main focus of the project is on developing professional capacity, trying to change the local institutional climate, with the aim of achieving inclusive local policies for refugees.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to support the integration of refugees arriving in Bulgaria by contributing to the creation of partnerships between civil society organisations and local administrations to provide support for refugees and migrants. There was a need to increase the capacity of local and regional institutions on working with refugees and respecting their rights, and to improve the interaction of more than 40 institutions and organisations. Thus, the project aimed to assist about 500 refugees, to facilitate their inclusion and access to local services - health, social, educational, cultural, legal, etc.
The project involved regular meetings between 25 institutions and 21 NGOs to coordinate and update information related to Ukrainian refugees. 4 trainings were held, which were attended by representatives from the NGO sector as well as specialists from all institutions in the city. A key activity was the development of a Mentoring Program, which 17 civil activists went through. As a result of the training, 6 groups were formed, which implemented numerous initiatives.
The implementation of this project has deepened links between institutions and NGOs working with displaced people from Ukraine. The 4 trainings were held on topics such as the legal framework of temporary status, media literacy and fake news and how to deal with professional burnout, and the trainees were both representatives from the NGO sector and professionals from all institutions in the city.
Support was given to people working on the frontline with Ukrainian refugees, providing them with regular group and individual supervision to enable them to successfully continue their work to help the community.
17 civic activists were trained, which resulted in the creation of 6 groups that implemented numerous events on their chosen themes: sports, art, ecology, cooking, art therapy, in which nearly 500 children and parents participated. Both Ukrainian and Bulgarian children and adults participated in the activities.
Mission Wings Foundation participated in the implementation of the activities on an equal basis with the leading organization. Their subject matter expertise and knowledge of the target group was key to the success of the project.
As a result of the project, good operational relations were established between institutions and NGOs on issues concerning work with refugees from Ukraine. This interaction will continue in the future in other crisis situations that require coordination between institutions.