Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily and northeast of Tunisia, and is one of Europe’s smallest countries. The region is characterized by craggy coasts and warm beaches, and Malta’s climate is similar to other Mediterranean nations, with hot, sunny summers and mild, rainy winters. Rainfall is not typically abundant, and the region is sometimes affected by hot, dry winds from the Saharan desert. Benefiting from its advantageous position between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, Malta is considered a high-income country by the World Bank.
In recent years, Malta has seen a massive influx of refugees as the total number of people seeking asylum from war and persecution around the globe has reached an all-time high, totaling 70.8 million. According to a UN report from June of 2015, “1 in every 122 humans is now either a refugee, internally displaced, or seeking asylum”. Malta’s fertility rate has generally been far below the EU average, but the population has grown considerably in the last few years due primarily to refugees and other immigrants. At present, Malta is said to have 14 refugees for every 1,000 residents (making it one of the countries with the most refugees per capita.)
Current Projects:
Holistic Support and integration for Asylum-Seeking Youth
Since the Syrian refugee crisis erupted in 2011, many nations, world leaders, and NGOs have been stretched to the limit trying to feed, shelter, and legally process newly arrived asylum seekers. Unfortunately, many asylum seekers fall through the cracks. People fleeing conflict are often dealing with deep trauma, and can encounter language barriers when attempting to work through the legal barriers they face in their asylum countries.
Urgent assistance to asylum seeking and refugee youth is needed, as many of them feel desperate, at a loss, uninformed about or unable to access existing psycho-social, educational, legal, or other services. Not having social capital or networks, coupled with their need to financially assist their families in their countries of origin, exacerbates their vulnerability.
Our partners at Kopin have been working with unaccompanied minors and youth who have arrived in Malta seeking protection. Their BRIDGE (Building Relationships through Innovative Development of Gender Based Violence Awareness in Europe) program was developed to address and help mitigate instances of gender based violence among asylum-seeking youth. We are now partnering with Kopin to expand the BRIDGE project. Now, trained youth facilitators will be preparing and carrying out awareness raising sessions for children and youth on the move; in Malta, 15 sessions will be held between youth facilitators and children. Asylum-seeking youth in Malta’s Open Centers will also receive financial assistance, and will be successfully linked to partner organizations to ensure that all of their needs (psychological, medical, financial, educational, etc.) are being met effectively.