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.
The Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP) is active in two projects supported by the Church of the Resurrection (CoE) in Bucharest, Romania—a program to support Ukrainian mothers and children and an emerging project for Palestinian children and refugee families in Romania.
MALVA began in September 2022 to support Ukrainian mothers and children with early development programs and psychosocial support. It is now a recognized NGO and has also begun working with Palestinian families. They provide:
- Early development programs for children aged 3 to 5, educational activities for children aged 4 to 16, and free programs for youth aged 16 and above
- Psychosocial support for women and children, with a strong emphasis on addressing trauma
- A social media marketing course for migrant adults, taught by a Ukrainian instructor and sponsored by UNHCR
There is a high prevalence of trauma among children that is often mistaken for developmental disorders but approximately 80 percent of the cases are trauma related. Moreover, many parents are reluctant to accept this, which hinders timely and appropriate intervention. Other challenges to the program are difficulty recruiting qualified volunteers and significant language barriers.
Impact and Success Stories
- MALVA serves around 60 children per week and is open seven days a week with one paid staff member and seven volunteers
- 45 students have graduated from the social media marketing course. Thirteen have started their own businesses and approximately five remain active
- MALVA marked its first year of formal partnership with the UNHCR
A second program to assist refugee children and their families from Gaza is in the beginning stages. Soranna, a psychotherapist, is establishing a hub to support Palestinian refugee families who have children with disabilities or injuries. Romania is expected to receive up to 800 Palestinian children and their families by the end of the year; the planning hub would have the capacity to support a maximum of 200 children. Under a current EU-support program, these families receive automatic asylum status and access to healthcare upon coming, but the children often need further care and must rely on costly private services.
Since February 2025, the program has assisted 12 people directly and an additional 100 indirectly.
The CRGP team also met with AIDRom (Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania), an NGO established in the early 1990s. AIDRom operates in several cities and provides legal counseling, psychological support, vocational training, and integration assistance for refugees and migrants. The Church of the Resurrection is currently evaluating a potential partnership with AidRom for upcoming projects.
At Cafe Mingle
(picture on the left): Giulia Bonoldi and Father Nevsky Everett standing in front of the Cafe Mingle.
(picture above): Father Nevsky Everett, Soranna Kapusta, Madeleine Cuckson and Giulia Bonoldi
At AIDRom
(picture on the left): AIDRom poster promoting self-assessment skills to volunteers.
(picture above): Picture of a ‘Wish list’ board from young refugees. a powerful symbol of hope and resilience for refugee kids.
More CRGP and Refugee & Migrant News Stories
Building Bridges Across Europe With USPG
A recent meeting between representatives of the Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP) and United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) in London laid the groundwork for potential future partnerships with a shared focus on the same projects, said Guilia Bonoldi, the Convocation’s chief welcoming officer.
Frontiers of Hope: Language Support for Migrant Families in Lisbon
“One of the most important aspects of our program is fostering connections, to create a space where migrants and their families feel welcomed, valued, and supported,” said Ruth Frederico, employment and social integration specialist for Frontiers of Hope, a project in the Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP).
The project is part of St. Paul’s parish of the Lusitanian Catholic Apostolic Evangelic Church in Lisbon and is one of two CRGP projects in Portugal. “For us, the process of accompaniment seeks not only to respond to immediate needs, but also to create opportunities for each person to develop skills, find work, and rebuild their life with greater stability and hope,” Frederico continued.
Community of Practice: “Financial Sustainability Training Series”
The Convocation Refugee Grant Program (CRGP), with support from Episcopal Relief & Development (ER&D), is currently hosting a five-session “Sustainability Training Series” for clergy and lay leaders involved in ministries and community projects across the Convocation.
A Community of Care in Brussels with FEDE
“For us, the success story is that there are always a couple of people we’ve helped who become community leaders,” said Kenji Sario, a volunteer with Food for Thoughts, Soup for Souls, which is a project of the Filipino Ecumenical Diaspora in Europe (FEDE) in Brussels, Belgium.
“Project Hope for Migrants” grows in Portugal, expands offerings in legal support for refugees
The program now offers Portuguese language classes, legal assistance, rent support, and emergency medical funding for refugees while continuing the work with their Portuguese neighbors.
A Place of Hope in Strasbourg, France
The Bernanos Centre was originally a student dorm on the campus of the Université de Strasbourg but, since 2016, has been transformed into a center for URM. “It’s really a place of hope, a way of being in solidarity with those in difficult circumstances.” That’s how Fr. Mark Barwick describes “Welcoming the Stranger,” a collaborative program to house and help unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) in Strasbourg, France.