RITA: Promoting self-reliance among resettled refugees

Supporting integration practitioners to deliver responsive services.

Contact details

Submitted by: 

Genevieve Caston, Senior Integration Specialist

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.Eurita.org

Introduction to the project

Country

Currently applied in South America and Europe but scalable globally.

Duration

2017-present. AMIF funding for EURITA will continue until December 2020.

Description

Integration happens at the local level. Refugees should be viewed as survivors with capacity. Early access to employment leads to self-sufficiency. These and other lessons learned through the International Rescue Committee’s decades of experience integrating refugees are shared with receiving communities around the world through the Resettlement and Integration Technical Assistance (RITA) project. Resettlement practitioners and service providers, as well as representatives of municipalities, national governments, and civil society will find practical tools and templates, adaptable to any country context, as well as useful links to external resources.

Project aims

RITA is committed to: 

• Promoting self-reliance and healing among resettled refugees and asylum seekers 
• Helping emerging resettlement countries to effectively grow their programs.
• Advancing the expansion of resettlement commitments of countries who see the benefits of integration. 

Our efforts to address all of the above are centred on strengthening the capacity of integration practitioners to deliver responsive integration services and to engage the communities in which they work.

Main activities of the Good Practice

RITA is a training and resource hub for resettlement and integration practitioners in communities around the world. We offer resources, learning opportunities, and technical assistance designed to support practitioners and policy makers in countries with emerging resettlement programs, whatever the context. From case management, orientation and interpretation services to employment and community engagement, RITA’s focus areas reflect real-world needs. Easy to use assessment tools determine whether integration programming and services are in a nascent, emerging or mature stage, and outline strategies for future success.

Partners

• International Rescue Committee (United States & Belgium)
• Conselho Português para os Refugiados (Portugal)
• Fundatia Schottener Servicii Sociale (Romania)
• Accem (Spain)

Challenges and how they were overcome

Challenges:

• The political environment and negative narratives surrounding immigrants and refugees are a challenge. 
• Financial and human resources dedicated to community sponsorship can be problematic as a result of the global environment and competing priorities
• High cost of sponsorship in some countries

How they were overcome:

• Amnesty is working on testing messages with different audiences to try to change narratives and counter negative ones
• The benefits of community sponsorship continue to be seen and it is hoped that additional membership will be a result
• Innovative ideas for fundraising are shared through Amnesty’s networks

Results of the Good Practice 

• 800 practitioners engaged from 17 emerging resettlement states worldwide
• 99 per cent of practitioners indicated that the training was relevant to their context.
• 91 per cent of practitioners reported an improved knowledge of specialized training topics.
• 100 per cent of practitioners report that the training was useful for their work.

Next steps

EURITA is funded until December 2020. IRC is applying for follow-on funding that would see EURITA financed into 2022 and is also seeking funding for our work in South America.