Project
- Project
//OUR PROJECT
Rehabilitation and Reintegration of returnees from conflict zones
Context
Kosovo has the highest number of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) in Syria and Iraq per capita. To date, 253 Kosovar citizens have returned to Kosovo and another 86 are still expected to return home. Returnees from conflict zones require support with their rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) process. The needs of returnees are often difficult to anticipate and at the same time stigma against them might make it more difficult for them to reintegrate. ATRC and its partners provide direct support to returnees including psycho-social, educational, and financial support while ensuring that other vulnerable members of their home communities receive sufficient support as well.
Overview
Within the GCERF funded project we work on the prevention of violent extremism (PVE) as well as the Rehabilitation and Reintegration (R&R) of returnees. The Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC) and its partners Community Building Mitrovica (CBM) provide direct support to returnees, their family members/caretakers and other vulnerable people in their communities. We provide psycho-social support in the form of counselling, tutoring and educational support, as well as financial empowerment training and small grants.
ATRC also supports government actors in gaining a better understanding of their role in identifying, referring or providing services to returnees, their families/caretakers and other vulnerable people.
The program has five 4 key beneficiary groups:
1. Youth 14 - 17, and youth from political parties.
2. Teachers and educational institutions (schools, universities)
3. Public institutions (Municipalities, Centers for Social Work, Kosovo Police, Health institutions)
4. Communities
The program has 3 key objectives:
1. Enhancing the transparency and implementation of anti-discrimination legislation and policies through monitoring and reporting.
2. Strengthening the capacities of duty-bearers and young people in combating discrimination and all forms of violence through trainings and small grants.
3. Raising awareness on countering hate-speech and gender-based violence through advocacy activities .
//IMPACT
International
Encourage repatriation of FTFs from foreign conflicts.
National
Strengthen accountability and sustainability of Kosovo’s National Strategy and Action Plan on P/CVE and R&R through monitoring and reporting, training of central level government stakeholders, technical support, and the facilitation of coordination of state and non-state PCVE and R&R stakeholders across the national and local level.
Municipality
Facilitate a multistakeholder approach to implementing the Action Plan through technical support to local institutions to implement their activities as outlined in the Action Plan, facilitate coordination and synergy of efforts at a local level.
Community
Reduced stigmatization of returnees/former terrorist offenders and other marginalized groups.
Individual
Increased access to psycho-social, educational and livelihood support for returnees/former terrorist offenders and their families/caretakers as well as other marginalized groups.
//KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
// Key Activities
With central & local level institutions, the ATRC Consortium:
- Monitors and reports on the implementation of Kosovo’s National Strategy on P/CVE and R&R and its action plan;
- Provides workshops, on-the-job support, and technical assistance to central and local institutions to support implementing the Strategy and Action Plan.
- Organizes quarterly coordination meetings bringing together state and non-state actors working on P/CVE and R&R.
To support returnees/former terrorist offenders and their families/caregivers as well as other marginalized groups, the consortium”
- Provides psycho-social support to children, young people and their families
- Provides educational support to children to catch up with their peers
- Organize financial empowerment workshops and mentoring
// ATRC's Added Value
- ATRC focuses on building capacity of its beneficiaries, including CSOs, government institutions, and individuals, in order to foster their agency in turn improving sustainability of their role in P/VE and R&R
- All project design and implementation are done in close coordination with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and aligned with Kosovo’s National Strategy on PCVE and R&R.
- Activities are implemented by local partners, who are trusted in the community and have a thorough understanding of local needs and opportunities.
- ATRC and its consortium members are closely connected to several networks of P/CVE and R&R practitioners, where lessons learned, and good practices are exchanged in order to build towards better programming.