THE PROJECT
Support to the Reintegration of Returnees in Ethiopia is a three year project of 5 Million Euro funded by the European Union.
The project intends to reach out to around 27,000 returnees and local vulnerable communities in Tigray, Amhara and Oromia national regional states. The overall ultimate beneficiaries of the project will be returnees and local vulnerable community members.
Particular attention will be paid to vulnerable groups within the large returnee population, including women, youth, victims of abuse and exploitation etc.
CONTEXT
EMPOWERING RETURNEES, CREATING DECENT JOBS.
Today, there are an estimated 244 million international migrants around the world.
Globalization, demographic shifts, conflicts, income inequalities and climate change will encourage ever more workers and their families to cross borders in search of employment and security. Migrant workers contribute to growth and development of countries of origin and destination. The recent mass-deportation of undocumented migrants from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia captured attention of governmental, non-governmental and inter-governmental actors alike.
Between November 2013 till March 2014, 163,018 of Ethiopians were forcefully repatriated. The majority of the returnees came back empty handed and many of them experience severe hardships during their stay and up on repatriation which caused them medical and psychological problems. However, the reintegration of these returnees was largely unaddressed and still remains at a very infant stage.
In order to address these challenges, the ILO in close collaboration with MoLSA has developed a project called “Support for the Reintegration of Returnees in Ethiopia”.
REINTEGRATION IN ACTION
The ILO through the Support to the Reintegration of Returnees in Ethiopia project, is providing technical and financial support, to provide improved reintegration assistance to Ethiopian returnees through a holistic and coherent economic and social empowerment approach.
The project will focus on individualised and rights based reintegration assistance to returnees.
WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE
Returnees have been provided with appropriate social support based on their needs.
Training programmes that meet local economic opportunities have been designed and delivered.
Returnees and local vulnerable community members have been provided with long-term socio-economic reintegration support.
THE PROJECT WILL PROMOTE REINTEGRATION OF RETURNEES AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES THROUGH:
Providing individualized assistance to returned migrants including effective referral services focusing among others on temporary shelter,
Providing life skill, entrepreneurship, motivational, financial literacy and management training and providing continuous business development service once they have established their businesses.
Provide vocational skills and livelihood development training programmes.
Support job placement and expand employment opportunities organizing job fairs and other innovative approaches.
Support returnees to organize themselves into cooperatives/associations and/or join existing ones as well.
Improving returnee’s access to finance; facilitate the provision of important inputs such working space and equipment in collaboration with concerned actors.
Conducting community out-reach and awareness raising programmes.
