EU-PASSWORLD aims to strengthen the linkage between community sponsorship and complementary pathways as a crucial nexus both to enhance refugee integration and significantly scale the number of refugees arriving via complementary pathways. The project is implemented during 2022-24 by a consortium of 11 state, civil society and faith-based partners, and includes specific activities to expand labour and education pathways in Belgium, Ireland and Italy.

The Working Group is led by ICMC Europe and the Share Network, in collaboration with RefugePoint and Caritas Italiana. While the EU-PASSWORLD project focuses on strengthening education and labour pathways, the Working Group draws on practice and approaches for identification, referral, and matching across complementary pathways.

The Working Group is hosting a learning exchange visit to Nairobi, Kenya during the three days of Tuesday-Thursday, March 28-30, 2023. The event will be hosted locally by RefugePoint and will feature in-depth exploration of pathways and programs currently being implemented in Kenya, both by RefugePoint and by other partners. It will be an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of the many activities that collectively comprise the identification, referral, and matching of refugees for complementary pathways, including the needed subsequent steps enabling departure to the destination country.

Nairobi is an ideal location for such a learning exchange as it is a large urban hub hosting upwards of 80,000 refugees of diverse origins including from: Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burundi, Eritrea, Rwanda, Uganda and Sudan. There is also a robust humanitarian response community working in Nairobi, providing visitors an opportunity to meet and observe a variety of service providers. RefugePoint has a significant presence there, with a staff of approximately 50 people (comprised entirely of Kenyan nationals and refugees) serving up to 10,000 refugees per year, including referring 500 or so clients annually for resettlement and complementary pathway. This has included resettlement for more than a decade; labor mobility for the past 5 years; and, new this year, family reunification and/or sponsorship.

If you are interested in attending this Working Group, please register here. For more information on the event, please contact us at eupassworld@gmail.com.