Current projects

Grantor: Erasmus + Program
Project timeframe: 01.11.2021 – 30.04.2023
Grant amount: 216.630,00 EUR
Project partners:
KENTRO MERIMNAS OIKOGENEIAS KAI PAIDIOU Greece
SAN GIUSEPPE ONLUS Italy
APROXIMAR- COOPERATIVA DE SOLIDARIEDADE SOCIAL Portugal
ASSOCIATION EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION ASOCIATIA Romania
Kadin ve Genc Girisim Merkezi Dernegi – Woman and Young Entrepreneurship Centre Association Turkey

Short description of the project:

The project aims to support migrants by supporting and boosting their motivation and helping them acquire the social skills needed to live in a new country.

Foreigners are usually given access to language and professional courses, but very often it is difficult for them to take full advantage of the opportunities on offer. This can be as a result of past traumas and difficult experiences in their countries of origin, while sometimes it comes about simply because  finding your place in a completely new, unknown life situation is no simple task.

Together with our partner organizations, we have therefore found that in order to support the integration of migrants, it is necessary to put into action more effective educational methods that use innovative approaches to increase the motivation of participants. The RISING project postulates to add such activities to the educational programs offered to migrants.

As part of the project, we will train 30 mentors and 30 migrants from partner countries. We will also create a toolkit to help mentors in their work with foreigners.

Project goals:

• Developing and reinforcing awareness about the importance of motivation as an essential factor for the continued development and education of migrants;
• Increase the number of foreigners intersted in joining mentoring programs;
• Strengthening mentors’ skills, especially with regard to motivating migrants to action;
• Prepare a mentor’s handbook with resources and tools for mentoring sessions;
• Increase the level of motivation and a pro-active stance among migrant charges;
• Improving the relationship between mentors and mentees, thanks to a better understanding of mutual expectations;
• Strengthen the skills of the employees and volunteers of the project partner organizations, thanks to which they will be able to more effectively support migrants and their mentors.

Project coordinator: Maria Deuar

Grantor: Norway Grants
Operator: MSWiA (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, Poland)
Project timeframe: 01.08.2021 – 31.07.2023
Grant amount: 742 730 EUR
Leader: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Project partners: Polish Migration Forum Foundation
Urząd ds. Cudzoziemców
Norvegian police
Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI)

Short description of the project:

The project aims to support the Polish migration and asylum management system and to take into account the needs of migrants with special needs (TSO). Project activities undertaken in multilateral cooperation between the partners will complement each other, creating a comprehensive network supporting migrants. Indirectly, by strengthening institutions supporting migrants, thanks to trainings, workshops, study visits, analyses. Directly, by supporting the migrants themselves, providing legal, psychological and case management advice.

Project coordinator: Maria Deuar

Grantor: Activ Citizen Found. Regional, Norway Grants
Operator: Consortium:Fundacja Rozwoju Demokracji Lokalnej im. Jerzego Regulskiego, Fundacja Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Informacyjnego, Fundacja Edukacja dla Demokracji
Project timeframe: 01.2022-30.09.2023
Grant amount: 83,972EUR

Short description of the project:

The project provides legal assistance to persons placed in Detention Centres for Foreigners in Lesznowola and Kętrzyn. In the case of ascertaining violations of law or obvious needlessness of detention, talks with the Border Guard will be undertaken in order to release the detainees, where foreigners will be supported holistically by a case manager, lawyer, psychologist, as required.

The project aims to demonstrate that the same objectives that are currently attempted by depriving migrants of liberty can be effectively achieved under conditions in which freedom is not taken away.

Project coordinator: Aleksandra Gutowska

Grantor: Activ Citizen Found. Regional, Norway Grants
Operator: Consortium Batory Foundation, Shipyard Foundation and the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation
Project timeframe: 01.2022 – 12.2023
Grant amount: 84,900 EUR
This project is in cooperation with: Polish Hospitality Foundation

Short description of the project:

The project intends to support the process of empowerment of persons who have experienced forced migration from vulnerable groups: preparing and involving them in self-advocacy and support with comprehensive counselling. The target group of the project are refugee women and men who are vulnerable to social exclusion due to their situation: people affected by violence, refugees raising children alone or in large families, the chronically ill and traumatised, people with experience of detention, LGBT+ people. The project addresses the problem of the low visibility of these groups’ voices  in public debate and the insufficient availability of specialised, comprehensive support for them. As a result of the project activities, about 15 people will become active self-advocates regarding their own case, and comprehensive support will be provided to min. 120 persons.

Coordinator: Paulina Zając

Grantor: the project is co-financed by the Network of European Foundations within the framework of the European Programme for Integration and Migration
Project timeframe:  01.03.2022 – 31.01.2023
Grant amount: 120 000 EUR

Short description of the project:

The No Detention Necessary Project has been piloting an innovative approach to detention alternatives. Based on the model of effective detention alternatives developed by the International Detention Coalition – the so-called Community Assessment and Placement model (CAP) – those leaving detention centers or threatened with detention, are offered support in the form of quasi-social work (case management), as well as legal and psychological counselling. Moreover, we endeavor to increase the involvement of the migrants covered by the program in the procedures that they participate in, improve their functioning at large and develop a long-term action plan with them, based on national legislation on migration. The project is implemented between 2017 and 2019.

We invite newcomers who have been initiated or completed proceedings for obligation to return (including persons who have unsuccessfully applied for international protection) to cooperate within the project, and:

• were released from the detained center for migrants,
• are subject to obligations arising from alternative measures to detention, or
• managed to avoid placement in a detention center for migrants.

Support from the project may be granted (except in special cases) only to persons who are:

• capable of meeting their basic living needs, i.e. accommodation and board,
• not at significant risk of fleeing.

The support provided under the project shall include

• case management: providing information, intermediation between administrative authorities and migrants, assistance in dealing with current issues, joint development of crisis exit strategies, quasi-social work,
• legal advice,
• psychological support,
• language support.

Project coordinator: Katarzyna Słubik, k.slubik@interwencjaprawna.pl.

Grantor: The Tides Foundation (Google)
Project timeframe: 02.03.2022 – 31.01.2024
Grant amount:  1 000 000 USD
Project Partners: Fundacja Centrum Badań Migracyjnych (Migrant Info Point), Fundacja dla Somalii, Fundacja Nasz Wybór, Fundacja Polskie Forum Migracyjne, Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka, Klub Inteligencji Katolickiej, Polska Gościnność (Chlebem i Solą), Stowarzyszenie Homo Faber, Stowarzyszenie Nomada, Związek Ukraińców w Polsce (Oddział w Przemyślu)

Short description of the project:

The project is implemented by the consortium of organizations supporting immigrants and refugees in different cities of Poland (Lublin, Poznań, Przemyśl, Warszawa, Wrocław). Its main goal is to deliver humanitarian aid to the people fleeing Ukraine, such as providing shelter, material aid, psychological and integration assistance, as well as legal and employment advice. A part of the project is the organizational development of the consortium, mainly purchase of the equipment, various trainings and fundraising activities. 

Koordynatorka: Aleksandra Gutowska

Grantor: The Open Society Foundation
Project timeframe: 01.04.2022 – 31.12.2023
Grant amount: 500 000 USD
Project Partners (Polish NGOs): Amnesty International Poland, Migrant Info Point, Our Choice Foundation, Polish Migration Forum Foundation, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Polish Hospitality Foundation (Chlebem i Solą and website uchodźcy.info), Homo Faber Association, Association for Legal Intervention, Nomada Association.

This is the next project implemented within the Consortium, a group of 9 organisations working since 2017 to support migrants and refugees in Poland, in 4 regions (Lublin, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw) but the first one directly targeting only Ukrainian citizens.

The main goal of this project is to provide high quality legal, social, psychological, professional etc. assistance to refugees from Ukraine who are in a particularly difficult situation in 4 cities in Poland.  

The project also aims to strengthen existing cooperation within the Consortium by building more formal structures.

The project will complement and develop existing counselling and information services in these NGOs. It will lead to strengthening the organisations in times of crisis, providing opportunities for self-development in the form of workshops and training for staff, thus ensuring further development of the organisations and their services.

Coordinator: Maria Deuar

Grantor: Active Citizens Grant, financed by the EEA and Norway grants, operated by a consortium of the Stefan Batory Foundation, the “Shipyard” Centre for Social Innovation and Research Foundation, and the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation
Project timeframe: 15.07.2022 – 30.04.2024
Grant amount: 100 000 euro

Short description of the project:

The subsidy is intended for the development and improvement of organization management (structured management of employees and organization of their work, development of a new organizational structure, conducting a series of trainings and workshops for the team).

Project coordinator: Ewa Grzegrzółka

Activities of the organization in 2022-24 co-financed from the Norwegian Funds under the Active Citizens Program – National Fund: www.aktywniobywatele.org.pl.

Grantor: UNHCR
Project timeframe: 01.01.2023 – 31.12.2023
Grant amount: 3 030 700 PLN
Project Partners: Fundacja Instytut na rzecz Państwa Prawa, Helsińska Fundacja Praw Człowieka, Stowarzyszenie Nomada

Short description of the project:

The project is the response to two migration crises. 

The humanitarian crises at the Polish-Belarussian border has caused the increased number of people detained (put in the detention facilities by the Polish Border Guard). The non-governmental organizations and media have informed that the Border Guards refused to accept applications from most of the asylum seekers at the border. The other group of asylum seekers in the detention facilities are people who managed to get to the West European countries and are turned back to Poland and placed in the detention centers. The access to free of charge legal information and assistance in the detention facilities is limited, so the aim of the project is to fill in this gap.

The Russian aggression on Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of people to find shelter in Poland. People who fled from Ukraine are exposed to various risks, so they desperately need protection and assistance in satisfying their most burning needs. In the frame of the project they will receive the legal assistance especially in Lublin and surroundings which is kind of important supplementation to local and governmental bodies and actors, because the number of people in need of legal assistance is huge.

Coordinator: Aleksandra Gutowska

Grantor: The City of Warsaw
Project timeframe: 01.01.2023-31.12.2023
Grant amount: 137 400 PLN
Partner in the project: Lambda Association

Short description of the project:

The aim of the project is to increase access to anti-discrimintion support through free of chargé legal and psychological assistance provided in the frame of the project to members of two vulnerable to the discrimination and hate groups: LGBTQ people (gays, lesbians, queer) also coming from Ukraine and refugees and migrants based in Warsaw. 

Apart from direct assistance the project foresees the preparation and the dissemination of information and education materials about rights and problems of members of these two vulnerable groups and two educational events addressed to the habitants of Warsaw and its surroundings.

Coordinator: Aleksandra Gutowska

Grantor: European Commission, Horizon Europe
Project timeframe: 01.04.2023-31.03.2026
Grant amount: 32 337,50 EUR
Project Partners: UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT (leader), THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM, Centre for European Policy Studies, GEMEINNUTZIGE GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG VON WISSENSCHAFT UND BILDUNGMIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG, HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO, UNIVERSITA CA’ FOSCARI VENEZIA, UNIWERSYTET WARSZAWSKI, CONFEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES SYNDICATS ADF, EUROPEAN NETWORK AGAINST RACISM, ACTIONAID INTERNATIONAL ITALIA ONLUS, STICHTING FAIRWORK, HELSINGIN DIAKONISSALAITOKSEN SAATIO SR, Verein zur Förderung des kirchlichen Engagements.

Short description of the project:

The project investigates the living and working conditions of regularized migrant households in Europe from an intersectional perspective. It aims to reveal the spectrum of irregularity in contemporary Europe and cast light on the everyday experiences of migrants with irregular, unstable and/or precarious legal status.

To achieve its overarching ambition, we will engage at all stages of the project cycle with relevant European, national, local and sectoral actors in six countries (Finland, Germany, Italy, The Netherland, Poland and the UK) through Country Stakeholder Groups (CSG) and a European Stakeholder Group (EISG). Moreover, we will organize a series of consultative and participatory initiatives to produce new knowledge, inform public and political debate, validate key research findings, and design policy recommendations.

For more information go to the website: www.i-claim.eu.

Coordinator: Aleksandra Gutowska

Grantor / leader: International Organization for Migration
Project timeframe: 01.05.2023 – 31.10.2023
Grant amount: 11 000 USD

Short description of the project:

According to estimates 5,000 – 7,000 children who were in foster care in Ukraine have crossed the border into Poland since the outbreak of war in this country. In light of the potential for large numbers of unaccompanied and separated children to be present in Poland, and recent changes to legislation concerning temporary guardianship and foster care for such children, there is a need to train and inform relevant actors on the updated measures. 

The project foresees the roll out of 8 one-day trainings delivered to foster care professionals and foster families and 8 webinars for ngo workers and volunteers. The trainings and the webinars will focus on the rights and responsibilities of unaccompanied and separated children as well as their guardians and caregivers, guided by the principle of the best interest of the child.

Coordinator: Aleksandra Gutowska