Allocation from the Development Fund for the Coordination of Refugee Reception
The Minister for Social Affairs and the Labour Market has allocated nearly 20 million króna from the Development Fund for the Coordinated Reception of Refugees. Municipalities that have an agreement with the ministry on the coordinated reception of refugees can apply for grants from the fund, and the distribution was overseen by the Association of Icelandic Municipalities and the Centre for Multiculturalism. In total, four municipalities received grants from the fund. The City of Hafnarfjörður received grants for three projects.
Allocation from the Development Fund for the Coordination of Refugee Reception
The Minister for Social Affairs and the Labour Market has allocated nearly 20 million króna from the Development Fund for the Coordinated Reception of Refugees. Municipalities that have an agreement with the ministry on the coordinated reception of refugees can apply for grants from the fund, and the distribution was overseen by the Association of Icelandic Municipalities and the Centre for Multiculturalism. In total, four municipalities received grants from the fund. The City of Hafnarfjörður received grants for three projects.
Allocation announcement on the website of the Cabinet Office
Digital activities and courses that promote well-being and empowerment
The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður received grants for three projects: digital inclusion, a parenting skills course with a focus on trauma and stress, and a course for refugee women focusing on empowerment and well-being.
- Digital activity tool as the aim is to create an incentive for refugees to pursue education or suitable employment, and the project is about offering individuals a digital distance learning course so that everyone can attend, regardless of their location, health or circumstances.
- Parenting Skills Course which is specially designed for parents of refugee children and will focus on trauma and post-traumatic stress. In addition, emphasis will be placed on Icelandic society and a different culture to help them adapt as well as possible to Icelandic society.
- Course for refugee women with an emphasis on the empowerment and increased mental and physical well-being of refugee women. The course is designed to increase both the women's self-understanding and their social awareness.
Four municipalities received a grant
Reykjanesbær received a grant for the 'Activity and Integration' project, which includes courses on tax returns and using online banking, Heilsuvera and Strætó, so that people can learn to manage for themselves. The municipality will also offer various activities for refugees, such as walking tours, women's fitness, football and cultural evenings, with the aim of empowering refugees and facilitating their integration into the community.
The City of Reykjavik received a grant for the MindSpring project, which is modelled on a Danish initiative and involves group work for parents, young people and children on settling into a new country, addressing issues related to their lives and how they can better cope with new situations.
Árborg received a grant for training for staff of the council's primary schools and leisure facilities to better prepare them to welcome diverse groups of pupils and their families, and how to improve the flow of information and ensure that information is communicated to the parents of refugee children and other partner organisations.
Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson, Minister for Social Affairs and the Labour Market: „It is very important that we welcome the people who seek shelter here, and a large part of that is making it easier for them to get to know and adapt to our society. It is difficult to come to a new part of the world where everything is foreign and different from what people are used to. The excellent projects that received funding this time all have the common goal of facilitating people's integration and increasing their education on important issues, thereby making it easier for them to build a new life here in the country.“