More than 80 thousand euros in support for Lithuanian-Nordic NGOs cooperation

The Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania has awarded support to four projects of Lithuanian and Nordic NGOs under the Support Programme for NGO Cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic Countries in 2023. This year, the most attention was paid to initiatives aimed at the integration of war refugees from Ukraine and the well-being of children and young people. The total amount of support awarded amounts to more than EUR 80,000.

Meet the winners:

Caritas of the Archdiocese of Kaunas contributes a lot to the integration of children and finding them safe homes. In the context of the war in Ukraine and within the framework of the project, the organisation aims to help war refugee families, which mostly consist of women and children, to integrate into Lithuanian society and survive traumatic experiences. Together with partners from Latvia and Iceland, the project will provide psychological and social support to Ukrainian children and their caregivers who have been forced to move to Lithuania. The project, which will run from 2023/2024, is funded with €20 000.

The Refugee Council of Lithuania is a refugee-led organisation whose main aim is to strengthen refugee inclusion and cooperation with the host society. The project “Capacity Building and Partnership between the Baltic and Nordic Countries” will increase the organisation’s strategic and programme management capacities. Together with partners from Latvia, Finland and Sweden, workshops and trainings are planned on staff management, community engagement, and how to develop a refugee entrepreneurship programme – taking into account the needs of Ukrainian and other refugee communities. The project will run from 2023/2024 and is funded with €16,738.

With the support received, “Vaikų linija” (Child line) will continue its fight against bullying.  Since 2018, together with partners from Sweden, the organisation has implemented the anti-bullying programme “Friends” in 20 Lithuanian schools. This year, the number of partners has expanded even further, with NGOs from Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland working to prevent bullying, in addition to Swedish colleagues. The project will include a conference and a study visit to Sweden to learn about the best practices newly introduced by Swedish organisations. The project will run from 2023 to 2024 and is funded with €24,980.

The main concern of “Save the Children Lithuania” is a safe and fulfilling childhood for the children of Lithuania and the world. Over the past two years, Lithuania has received a large influx of migrants across the border with Belarus, as well as refugees from Ukraine. Just after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the organisation contributed to supporting refugee families, helping to set up refugee registration centres, spaces for children’s emotional well-being and psychological support. However, the needs of unaccompanied and separated children are not always met and rights are not always protected. By joining forces with “Save the Children” organisations in Sweden and Iceland, Lithuanian representatives will strengthen their capacity to work in humanitarian crises to meet the needs of vulnerable groups of children. The project, which will run from 2023/2024, is funded with €20 000.