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Programmes and Operations
Core Activities |
Community building and local integration
The need
One of the most difficult prospects for migrants, refugees and
Internally Displaced Persons is that they may never be able to
return home. At the same time the communities that host them are
often struggling with weak economies and bleak futures and cannot
sufficiently support the added pressure of absorbing newcomers.
Introduction
ICMC assists migrants, refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) who wish to integrate peacefully and sustainably into the
host country or community, when returning to their home is not a
secure option. Among other services, ICMC provides grants and loans
to the displaced to start small business ventures, while encouraging
host community development through the provision of funds and training
for local NGOs.
Support provided by ICMC in its integration
programming:
- Providing holistic needs assessments in communities
for IDPs as well as for longstanding residents
- Using ICMC's participatory planning model, involving
the organisation of trust-building assemblies and the election
of community representatives from both the host and IDP communities,
with emphasis on individual as well as on collective decision
making
- Institution building through partnering with existing
small associations and civil society and working with communities
to create new associations to address outstanding needs
- Capacity building to enhance the leadership, administration
and advocacy skills of the community associations, with specially-designed
trainings for the elected community representatives in:
- organizational management
- strategic planning
- community-based economic development
- proposal writing
- protecting human rights
- Community organizing and community meetings led by
the elected representatives to collect data, assess problems,
needs and resources for the drafting of a community development
plan, including economic strategies to generate community income
to improve schools, health facilities, water and sanitation
services and advocacy strategies to address issues of human
rights and rights to land
- Developing community structures that ensure ongoing
attention and support to the most vulnerable amongst them with
an individualized and intensive approach to extremely vulnerable
individuals on a case by case basis
- Implementing projects based on proposals created in
community processes and supported by donor funding through ICMC
- Providing ongoing technical assistance and field monitoring
to assist with essential administration, finance, logistics
and project implementation systems, including the legal registration
of associations and the opening of bank accounts.
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