Through a grant from the Dutch Council for Refugees’ Step-Up Fund, Caritas Cyprus is working to develop its communications, outreach and fundraising capabilities to better accomplish its mission over time. In addition to mentorship and funding, the Step-Up Fund provides opportunities to learn from the staff of the Dutch Council for Refugees which implements multiple and varied programs that help tens of thousands of asylum seekers and refugees each year. On a recent study tour with other 2024 Step-Up grantee partners from Greece, Italy, Malta, Poland and Spain, Caritas Cyprus’ Marco Frassine visited a detention center in Schiphol and an asylum center in Utrecht to witness the Dutch Council for Refugees’ work first-hand and to better understand asylum procedures and integration services in the Netherlands. Exchanges with and between practitioners facing similar challenges in varying European contexts are invaluable to learning and in line with the Step-Up Fund’s goal of improving refugee protection and inclusion at the borders of Europe through capacity building.
