MIC after the first year
| MIC after the first year |
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Bratislava, April 24, 2007 - In the first year of its existence, the IOM Migration Information Centre gave help to more than 220 migrants in Slovakia. Until today, fifteen clients used MIC's support for education and re-qualification.
"In the first year of MIC existence, our consultants offered to the clients more than 630 phone, e-mail or personal consultations. Our website counts about 2000 visits a month. Migrants are most interested in information about their legal stay in Slovakia and the employment," says the director of Slovakia's Office of the IOM, Ms. Zuzana Vatráľová.
"Our clients value the fact that they can get all the information necessary to solve their particular problem in one place. Fore example, we help them write the CV while they are job hunting, we direct them to the relevant institutions in the right order, and so on," says Ms. Vatráľová. "We have clients who had, in vain, tried to get some permit for months and now they got in a few weeks with the help of MIC." Since October 2006, MIC offers direct financial support for education and re-qualification of the migrants with the aim to help them find work. MIC reviewed 20 applications and the commission awarded financial help to 15 applicants. Two clients have already completed their courses, and five of them have started to attend courses in computer skills, accounting, driving lessons, and Slovak and English languages. MIC also supports the life of migrant communities in Slovakia and contributes to bring together the migrants and the majority population. The Centre cooperates with 21 cultural mediators from various countries - Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia and Vietnam. MIC organized three trainings for the mediators - in advisory and communication skills, work with the migrants' communities in Slovakia, and the development of the projects supporting the integration and multicultural life. Cultural mediators have organized eight so-called informational meetings so far, with the financial support of MIC. With the aim to join the migrant communities and the majority population, the meetings took place in various forms - the concert, the discussion about the needs of the African community, the lecture about the education possibilities in the Ukrainian community, multicultural sport and social events or the exhibition of the photographs about Afghan women in Islam. The past year was successful based on the set quantity and quality criteria, proven by the number of successfully answered questions and a positive feedback from the MIC's clients, but also the state institutions or non-governmental organizations. Migration Information Centre is a part of the ESF/Equal project "MIGRATION INFORMATION CENTRE TO ASSIST MIGRANTS AND TRAFFICKED PERSONS IN INTEGRATION INTO THE LABOUR MARKET AND SOCIETY". |
Funded by the European Union.
The European Fund for the Integration
of Third-Country Nationals. Solidarity
and Management of Migration Flows.