Caritas Austria
1. General activities of the organization:
Caritas Austria is involved in the following activities:
Promotion of integral human development: Sustainability as a result of assistance given is one of the key purposes of Caritas. Emphasis is put on enabling the beneficiaries to help themselves. Caritas rejects the approach of making the poor objects of pity, but considers them subjects of their own development and agents of change. Caritas expects the beneficiaries to assume an active role in building better living conditions for themselves and encourages them to take on co-responsibility and initiative.
Capacity & institution building: By providing structural aid, Caritas seeks to promote capacity-building and development of those organisations which are lacking appropriate structures in order to serve the poor in an efficient and professional way. Caritas understands capacity-building as strengthening the local Church so that it is capable of accomplishing its socio-pastoral mission.
Social aid: Caritas Austria considers itself as a partner and advocate of the poor and marginalised. Caritas therefore addresses the basic needs of the vulnerable taking also into consideration their social and cultural background.
Support in the field of Migration: Caritas is active in the field of migration in 3 ways:
•migration prevention in the countries of origin through cooperation with local partners
•supporting migrants in Austria and advocating for their rights on all levels
•assist migrants in third countries
Response to emergencies: By providing the necessary means for survival and medical supplies, Caritas performs emergency relief work in view of helping people to overcome the effects of emergencies which exceed the powers. Caritas sees its emergency operations in the context of integral human development concerns.
Rehabilitation: Caritas supports measures aimed at restoring the dignity and self-reliance of the human person as well as at reconstructing his social environment.
Advocacy and Peace Building:
Advocacy means for Caritas to actively contribute to the social and political process. This is done in direct linkage to the daily work of Caritas and in accordance with the policies of Caritas partners in any given country. Peace Building is one of the prime tasks of the Caritas Internationalis confederation, which also issued a handbook for reconciliation. Human rights are considered as one of the most fundamental pillars for such activities and are vital part of the agenda.
Annual Report Caritas Austria 2007
2. ERSO member is funded by:
CARITAS Austria receives funds from private Donations, governmental subsidies or cost refunds (social work), different EC funds or other international donors.
The Voluntary Return program is co-financed by The European Refugee Fund and the Federal Ministry for Interior.
3. Target group of the ERSO member (in the context of return and reintegration):
The target group are aliens in need, regardless of religion, political or ethnic affiliation, who are staying in Austria and wishing to return voluntarily to their home- or a third country. But because the Caritas project is co funded by the ERF the main group of clients are asylum seekers, rejected asylum seekers, convention refugees, people with subsidiary protection and persons with temporary protection.
4. Does the ERSO member offer pre-departure counseling?
Pre-departure counselling is a very important part of our work. We counsel and assess prospects in asylum procedures and procedures of aliens’ legislation in Austria/Europe. We counsel ascertain the social prospects in Austria/Europe and point out the various ways in which we can offer assistance in case a return to the home country is considered. The comprehensive counselling offered in the six return offices around Austria enables clients to decide freely over a return to their home country.
5. What kind of reintegration assistance does the ERSO member offer to returnees?
Caritas offers assistance in the home country if contact to the family, contact to aid-agencies in the home country, financial support (max 370,- Euro) or the organization of tools and means is/are required. Especially through the long field experience for a long time in the countries of return and the big international Caritas network we facilitate the return and the reintegration of people returning home.
6. Partners in the context of voluntary return and reintegration:
National level: Ministry of Interior
IOM
NGOs (Asylkoordination, Diakonie, Evangelischer Flüchtlingsdienst, amnesty international, Rotes Kreuz, Integrationshaus, SOS-Kinderdorf, Clearing House, Beratungszentrum für Migrantinnen, LEFÖ, Asyl in Not, Deserteursberatung etc).
Youth Welfare Departments
Offices for Guidance and Advice
Aliens´ Police
Municipal Administration Units
People from Municipal Migration offices
Social Welfare Departments.
EU level: Since January 2005 Caritas Austria represented by Bettina Wagner act as a Focal Point on voluntary return for Caritas Europe. Thus the contact to many Caritas organisations in Europe who are working in this field is very good.
Beyond that Caritas Austria attends on the most important conferences in the field throughout Europe (i.e. the Return Forum 2006 organised by the Swedish Red Cross, Migration Forum etc.).
Countries of origin: We cooperate with all foreign representations and embassies in Austria. Our Countries of Origin Network is a strong network to be consulted for all our individual cases.
7. Top 5 of returnees by country of origin assisted by the ERSO member in 2008:
Top 5 counselling contacts by country of origin
- Russ.Fed./Chechnya 313
- Kosovo 303
- Turkey 142
- Serbia 122
- Nigeria 78
Top 5 actual returns by country of origin
- Kosovo 268
- Russ.Fed./Chechnya 160
- Turkey 112
- Serbia 64
- Russ. Federation 56
Total number of counselling contacts 2008
1701
Total number of returnees 2008
1178
