ICAR Foundation is the recipient of EUR 213 215 grant for “ICAR- Resource Center and Services for Migrants” Project, financed by the EEA Grants 2009-2014 within the NGO Fund in Romania. The partner of ICAR Foundation throughout the 24 months of the project is the Resource Centre of Violence Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention, a Norwegian NGO in the West Region Helse Bergen HF, Haukeland University Hospital.

Migrants living in Romania are a distinct group of vulnerable people, whose number is constantly increasing. According to statistics provided by the General Immigration Inspectorate (IGI), at the end of 2012 there were 55.8223 foreigners registered in Romania with legal residence: 44,992 having temporary residence and 10,831 having permanent residence. Most of them emigrated from Moldova, Turkey, China and Syria.

Due to the increasing flow of foreigners in transit or reside in Romania, the issue regarding the extended health services for migrants has become a priority in migration policies. Through the Resource and Services Center for Migrants, ICAR aims to meet this need by providing health and psychological counseling services for the immigrants, services not covered by public or private sector today.

In addition, through media and awareness campaigns, we intend to include the issues of asylum, migration and public health on the public agenda in order to reduce the social distance between Romanian citizens and migrants and to develop partnerships that strengthen cooperation in the area and improve the situation of migrants in the country.

“Coming from all over the world and settled on our land, different from us in many ways, but similar to our desires, migrants are willing to have a safe and prosperous future. We need to know what to offer them, and they need to know how to receive it”, says Camelia Doru, project coordinator and founder of ICAR Foundation.

ICAR Foundation has been active for over 20 years with a mission to assist vulnerable groups, marginalized victims of serious violations of human rights, people who, defending democratic values​​, have been subject to persecution.

ICAR is among the few organizations in Romania with expertise in migration issues and the only one haveing a program of direct health services for migrants.