CRGP Field Reports
The following is a field report conducted by the administration team of the Convocation Refugee Grant Program. The CRGP Team travels to the project sites around Europe at least once a year to check in on project status, support the local project managers and coordinators, listen to any potential concerns or issues, and celebrate the successes.
If you would like more information on starting or finding funding for a local refugee and migrant support project, please contact our team at welcomegrant@episcopaleurope.org.
“Love Thy Neighbours” is a project implemented by the Anglican Church in Poland in partnership with Studia Poland (a for-profit entity that aligns with the project’s social mission) to equip Ukrainian refugees with the skills necessary to rebuild their lives in Poland. It provides employability training, business development courses, and language classes designed to help them integrate into Polish society and achieve financial independence.
The program has two aspects: a business training course and language training courses. The business training course is 96 hours over four months that covers: business psychology, Polish business regulations and labor and tax laws, marketing and business planning, and developing a business plan for funding applications. The language courses include specialized medical and technical Polish for professionals that gives participants government-recognized certification upon completion.
Impact and Success Stories
- 70 students have been trained since the program’s inception
- 15 graduates (first quarter 2025), 11 of whom started their own businesses
- Demographics:
- 80-90% women
- Age range: 22 to 65 years
- Beneficiary Testimonial:
- Olgais an artisan who creates handmade baptismal towels. Funding from “Love thy Neighbors” has enabled her to start a small business and sell her products through Facebook.
- Demographics:
According to UNHCR data from 2024, Poland hosts over 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees. Some of the challenges the program faces are: limited Polish language proficiency, which affects refugees’ ability to set up a business; a need for long-term financial support; the legal complexities of Polish business law, and limited scope, as the program currently serves only Ukrainian refugees.
(left to right): Giulia Bonoldi, Olga Miklaszewska, Serhii Sirenko, Svetlana Sirenko, Tom Nolan and Marta Hlushchyk
More CRGP and Refugee & Migrant News Stories
Report from the UN Global Refugee Forum Progress Review 2025
The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe represented at the UN Global Refugee Forum Progress Review in Geneva, Switzerland, by the Right Reverend Mark Edington and Giulia Bonoldi, Chief Welcoming Officer.
Observations from the “Hope Makers” conference in Berlin, Germany
Socorro Heepe was the Convocation’s Racial Justice Ministry representative to the conference – “Hope Makers: From Hostility to Hospitality – which brought together representatives from the Church of England (Diocese in Europe and the Racial Justice Unit), the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), the World Council of Churches (WCC), United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG), academic institutions, interfaith organizations, and civil society partners.
Encouraging Mindful Donations
Mindful donations center on guarding the dignity of the guests in a church’s refugee and migrant program while communicating thoughtfully with your community and donors, according to Desiree Townley, who recently gave a Community of Practice sessions for coordinators who are heading projects funded by the Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP) across Europe.
Fragrance in Freiburg
“Fragrance is always inviting. Fragrance reaches out, it can reach out to people who are not expecting fragrance to come,” said Fr. Vinod Victor. And being a fragrant presence in the southern German city of Freiburg is the aim of an extensive refugee outreach program developed by the Anglican Church Freiburg using a grant from the Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP).
Interview with Kunstpause, Wiesbaden, Germany
Art Class Project (Kunstpause) started with two small classes at St. Augustine’s of Canterbury (Wiesbaden) in 2024 and has grown to seven different classes that host over 60 people each week in just a year and a half. “We are excited that we can provide a space for...
Best Practices for Grant Writing
Migrants and immigrants have always been an integral part of the Convocation. However, the sustained upward trend in immigration to Europe means that our parishes must find new ways to identify and provide services to respond to the growing needs. In 2023, the...