Caring to Include

This three-year project titled Caring to Include coordinated by the Dutch Council for Refugees includes six European partner organisations from Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Malta and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee from Hungary. The project aims to reduce the negative effects of trauma and other stressors on the social inclusion of refugees and migrants. At the same time, this initiative will also improve the mental health of NGO staff and volunteers working with these vulnerable groups.

During this project, we will create a sustainable Community of Practice (CoP) for NGOs across Europe to share knowledge and expertise on trauma-informed support for refugees and migrants and staff care of NGOs working in the refugee field.

In addition, we will develop two toolkits that address mental health and self-care for NGO staff and volunteers and trauma-informed and culturally sensitive methods to support refugees and migrants. In the same context, the toolkits will help organising training and exchange programmes to improve service delivery. We will ensure long-term implementation of these best practices in participating organisations.

Project duration: 1 November 2024 – 31 October 2027

You can find further information about the project here

This project is funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

OUTPUTS:

• Comparative report: Mental well-being and trauma-informed approaches in refugee assisting organisations across seven European countries
• The first toolkit to strengthen the well-being of staff and volunteers is published!

EVENTS:

• November 2024: Kick-off meeting in Amsterdam
• June 2025: Toolkit development meeting in Budapest on the mental well-being of staff and volunteers
• January 2026: Toolkit development meeting in Cyprus on trauma-informed care