Europe

For over 14 years, our mission is to accompany refugees, to provide services and to advocate for their cause. We provide holistic (social and legal assistance, education, cultural and educational activities, financial support and accomodation, advocacy and lobbying, research, studies and surveys, training and seminars, awareness campaigns and information) through various types of projects that we develop (11 projects in 2013).

We assist all categories of refugees and migrants (people with a form of protection in Romania, relocated people, asylum seekers, people in detention, refugees marginalized, tolerated, migrants coming to work or study and others). We are present in all centers opened in country as well as in detention centers (8 centers in total).

JRS Romania has a night shelter in Bucharest named “Pedro Arrupe Center” and also a Multifunctional and Cultural Center named “MyPlace”.

Over 1.500 refugees have been assisted in areas such as association and economic exclusion, detention, integration and acceptance conditions. About 20 specialists work constantly in order to accomplish our mission, supported by many enthusiastic volunteers of all ages and in all fields.

atavus advises schools and other educational establishments on how to create dye-plant gardens. These gardens serve to preserve the diversity of cultivated plants and promote interdisciplinary learning. Dye-plant gardens promote the production and use of colors according to Agenda 21. By focusing on topics such as cosmetics and various types of paints, both children and adults are encouraged to reflect on questions related to ecology, economics and social matters. In addition, opportunities to participate actively in this process are developed. Along with the dye-plant institute in Essen Altendorf, the international dye-plant garden in Gelsenkirchen, and the ones in South Africa, atavus offers numerous possibilities for networking. By including handicrafts we want to create economic cycles where children, as communicators of the "do-it-yourself" approach can find vocational training opportunities.

We get special support from the UNESCO city of Gelsenkirchen. With various activities, Gelsenkirchen is well on its way from being industrial town to becoming the ‘city of 1000 colours'. In the international exchange with South Korea (cultural exchange), Azerbaijan (paint extraction), Lithonia (Africa workshop), South Africa (cosmetics), Nicaragua (manufacturing) and numerous European partners (Ruhr 2010), we are currently running a set of interlinked projects.

Old knowledge, personal responsibility, and pleasure in learning will be taught in various events and places: Landesgartenschau Hemer 2010, European Film Awards 2009, Vilnius 2009, BNE conference 2009, Africa Conference North-Rhine Westphalia, Kaffeegarten Eine Weltnetz 2010, Mondialogo-Unesco, International Painters Camp 2010 and others.