A new tool has been launched to help people working to welcome and resettle migrants and refugees in Ireland. The Refugee Resettlement Toolkit (RRT) has been designed by Doras, an organisation which works “to promote and protect human rights”
In a press release it highlighted that the RRT compiles best practices that the organisation has developed over the last five years.
Doras officially launches the guide today on World Refugee Day.
A guide for resettlement workers
Doras has created the RRT as a free guide for those working with migrants and refugees. It says that it has developed, tested, and reviewed the information covered in the RRT across three refugee resettlements projects it has been involved in. The RRT includes advice and information on a number of different topics such as issues around cultural awareness, pre-arrival planning, language supports, and education.
Development was also supported by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). And Doras said it hopes that other resettlement workers will also be able to “develop this resource” via their own input.
Helping refugees
In a press release John Lannon, the CEO of Doras, said that he and Doras “are thrilled to launch this resource”. Pointing to the challenges of the last few months, he argued that it’s “important to hit the ground running” when things return to normal. With this in mind, he hopes the RRT “can help towards that”.
He also hopes the tool will help “ensures that new communities feel that they can belong in Ireland”.
Enda O’Neil of the UNHCR that the tool is unique in that it documents the experiences of case workers engaged in resettlement projects. For this reason he said:
That’s why UNHCR was delighted to support this project which will prove an invaluable support tool for those working to help welcome and support refugees in their community.
Last year President Michael D. Higgins issued a statement in which he declared that we have a duty to care for refugees. And, what’s more, that we should “open our countries” to them.
To mark World Refugee Day 2020 the high commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi, called “for greater global solidarity and action to include and support refugees”.
The RRT can be downloaded here.
Featured image via Flickr – John Englart
