Project activities
Transnational Exchange IV - Virtual Seminar
After the unfortunate cancellation of our final conference in March the project offered a series of virtual seminars to discuss voluntary return to the Horn of Africa and Pakistan. The virtual seminars took place in May and June 2020 and served as an alternative for the conference offering background information and also first-hand exchange with local reintegration partners from Pakistan and Somalia.
The summaries as well as conclusions of the previous events can be found in the final brochure of the project here.
Workshop III - Voluntary Return to West Africa
The third workshop of the Transnational Project IV took place from the 22nd to the 24th of October 2019 in Augsburg. 38 counsellors from different European countries attended the workshop and discussed about voluntary return West Africa.
The workshop focused on four topics: health care in West African regions, the importance of family in the return process, human trafficking with juju and religion as a key factor, and the local reintegration services available.
Mr. Francis, Director of Caritas Gambia and Mr. Roland Nwoha, Project Coordinator of Idea Renaissance in Nigeria, graced the workshop with their attendance and by providing detailed information and insights on the situation in the countries.
A report of the workshop can be downloaded here.
Field trip to Ghana with European AVRR counsellors
From the 24th - 28th of June 2019 AVRR counsellors from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland and Luxembourg travelled together with the Trans IV staff to Accra, Ghana. The group was hosted by the Ghanaian reintegration partner AG Care. The participants got a broader insight into the health system in Ghana, the migration history of Ghana as well as possibilities for business-startups and economic reintegration. The group also got the chance to meet returnees from different European countries and discussed their experiences and challenges.
A report on the field trip can be downloaded here.
Workshop II - Voluntary return to the Middle East
From the 7th to the 9th of May 2019 the second workshop of the Transnational Project IV took place in Augsburg. 38 counsellors from different European countries attended the workshop and discussed about voluntary return to the Middle East.
The workshop covered Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria as the main countries of return. Experts with a high level of experience in the respective countries gave information concerning the security situation, the socio-economic situation and the reintegration assistance available on-site.
With the shared information counsellors should be able to advise clients better in making a well-informed decision - especially for returnees of countries of a highly debatable security situation.
A report of the workshop can be downloaded here.
Field trip to the Netherlands with 5 European AVRR counsellors
AVRR counsellors from Germany, Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Luxembourg traveled together with the Trans IV staff to visit the Dutch Council for Refugees (VluchtelingenWerk Nederland) from the 18th to the 21st of March 2019. The group met different Dutch actors of the AVRR field during its stay. It learned about the special volunteer concept of the VluchtelingenWerk (the AVRR counselling is done first and foremost under the supervision of professional counsellors by volunteers; only in difficult cases the professional counsellor steps in) and about ways to equip interested clients for a professional reintegration through training from Bridge to Better. In Ter Apel, the only place in the Netherlands to apply for asylum, the asylum seeking procedure was explained and an asylum seeker accommodation inspected.
The report can be downloaded on the right-hand side.
Workshop I - Voluntary return to the Caucasus
The first workshop of the Transnational Exchange IV project took place in Augsburg, Germany, from the 29th – 31st of October 2018. The first region to focus on within the project was the Caucasus region.
Prior to the workshop several European counsellors had been interviewed regarding the most relevant subtopics about returning to the Caucasus region. The feedback was unanimous: returnees with chronical illnesses, drug abuse and family conflict. The agenda of the workshop was arranged accordingly.
The speakers covered a wide range of expertise from reintegration partners from Georgia and the Chechen Republic to medical staff such as an IOM regional doctor and a psychotherapist who used to lead a drug rehabilitation center.
Three highlights:
- Presentation about the situation of women in the Chechen Republic
- Presentation about the health care systems in the Caucasus region
- Presentation about the relation of migration and substance abuse
The content is summarized in the workshop report, which is free to download in the right-hand column.
