The "I get you" project comprises local initiatives which include refugees in their work, supporting them in integration and changing the local communities' perception and potential prejudices, said Kristina Samardzic of Croatia's JRS.
The project was launched in early 2016 when the European Union began changing its restrictive asylum policies and treatment of migrants and refugees, she said, adding that 670,000 migrants passed through Croatia that year.
Fourteen initiatives meeting the requirements have been mapped in Croatia, including Taste of Home, Welcome, Zagreb 401, BicPop, and Gender Task Force - Sustainable Growth Initiative.
JRS director Tvrtko Barun said there was no integration system in Croatia and called on the state system to cooperate with civil society "because civil organisations have quality projects and recognise refugees' needs, whereas the system doesn't have that knowledge."
He said NGOs could do the job better and cheaper than the state, adding that this was an opportunity to use European funds to help refugees integrate with and become a quality part of society.
"I get you" is being implemented in Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Romania and Croatia. JRS offices have mapped 315 local initiatives working with refugees on a daily basis to help them integrate with locals.