"It is with pride and joy that we have opened the Refugee Integration Centre, a meeting place for refugees and the local community where refugees will get support and all the information regarding the challenges they are facing," the head of the Jesuit Refugee Service in South-East Europe, Tvrtko Barun, said.
JRS was awarded the premises housing the centre following a call for tenders by the City of Zagreb. The centre was equipped with money from donations.
To date, 554 people have been granted refugee status in Croatia. At the centre, refugees will have the opportunity to learn Croatian, receive support for re-training and employment, and it will also serve as a meeting place with potential employers.
Special "Women for Women" workshops will provide support for women so that they can be prepared for an independent life in new surroundings.
The centre will also provide STEM training where refugees of all ages will learn IT skills and the like.
A special programme will be provided for 130 children through workshops designed for their specific age, based on their knowledge of Croatia and the time spent in Croatia.
The centre will also be a place for cultural events so that Zagreb residents can become familiar with Syria, Iran and Iraq and other countries from where refugees have come from.
JRS has launched a crowdfunding campaign which will be implemented until April 25 with the aim of raising funds for the centre.
The prime minister's envoy, State Secretary in the Interior Ministry, Zarko Katic, congratulated the JRS on the "strong message" and on opening "a house of integration" and "a house of encounters," saying they are essential for Croatian society today.
He recalled that the first asylum approved in Croatia was in 2006 and since then more than 550 people have been granted international protection.