Refugee Council of Lithuania

15/06/2026

From ideas to action.

This spring, RCL successfully completed the first cohort of the Entrepreneurship Program in Kaunas under the PMIF-2.01-K-05-02 project.

Over nearly three months, 18 participants strengthened their entrepreneurial skills, worked on business concepts, developed financial models, explored legal registration processes, and learned how to present their ideas with confidence.

The results speak for themselves:

• 94% of participants said the program improved their understanding of business.
• The strongest growth was recorded in business pitching, legal registration knowledge, and financial planning.
• Participants highlighted practical workshops, business plan development, expert mentorship, and hands-on tools as the most valuable parts of the program.

Beyond knowledge, the program helped participants gain confidence, structure their ideas, and take concrete steps toward launching their own ventures.

We are grateful to all mentors, experts, and participants who contributed to the success of this first cohort. Their engagement, openness, and determination created a strong foundation for future entrepreneurs.

The feedback also provided valuable insights for future editions of the program, including stronger networking opportunities, additional post-program support, and more opportunities for peer collaboration.

At RCL, we believe entrepreneurship can be a powerful pathway to economic inclusion, independence, and community integration. We look forward to supporting even more aspiring entrepreneurs in the future.

The project is co-funded by the European Union.

11/06/2026

📢 Українці в Литві, потрібна ваша допомога!

Якщо ви брали участь у заходах або курсах, організованих НУО «Рада біженців» (Refugee Council of Lithuania), запрошуємо вас взяти участь у міжнародному дослідженні MAGnituDe та поділитися своїм досвідом.

Дослідників цікавить взаємодія між українцями, які були змушені виїхати через війну, та іншими мігрантами під час участі в діяльності організацій і навчальних заходах.

✅ Участь добровільна
✅ Уся інформація анонімна
✅ Дані використовуються лише в наукових цілях

Заповнити анкету:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=DQSIkWdsW0yxEjajBLZtrQAAAAAAAAAAAAMAABvLhvhUQlowSzVGU0pJWFhVUVdLQkVaV0swQUc3TC4u

Або звертайтеся безпосередньо до дослідниці Моніки Фрейюте-Ракаускяй:
📧 [email protected]

Будемо вдячні за поширення серед української спільноти.

10/06/2026

Join the Refugee Council of Lithuania Team!

📍 Vilnius, Lithuania
📅 Internship opportunity

We are looking for a motivated intern to join our team and take part in the Volunteers Everywhere project.

This EU-funded initiative (ESF+ Social Innovation+) supports the integration of refugees from Ukraine through a mobile app that connects volunteers with refugees. The application is already developed but the focus now is on real implementation: matching volunteers with refugees and supporting day-to-day coordination.

The Refugee Council of Lithuania is a refugee-led organisation working on integration, inclusion, and empowerment of refugee communities in Lithuania.
https://www.refugeeslt.com/

💡 What you’ll do:
You’ll be directly involved in the Volunteers Everywhere project and related integration activities, helping connect people and support project delivery on the ground.

🎓 Requirements:
• Strong motivation in social impact / migration field
• Interest in social innovation and community work
• English — working language

📩 Apply / contact:
[email protected] or DM

If you want to work on a real project with real impact, we’d be happy to hear from you.

08/06/2026

Today, we came together for a special team-building art therapy session. To ground ourselves and connect with our inner calm, we started with a short meditation, letting our happiest memories resurface before bringing them to life on a blank canvas.
The goal was simple: to create a visual anchor—something we can look at on busy days to instantly return to a state of peace and joy.
The results were as unique as our team and interns. For some, it was a burst of vibrant, dopamine-boosting colors. For others, it was a peaceful local landscape, a quiet moment in nature, or the soothing energy of the ocean.
It was a wonderful way to connect on a deeper level and remind ourselves that while happiness looks different to everyone, sharing it brings us closer together.
🎨 How do you unwind and find your inner peace with your team? Let us know in the comments!

06/06/2026

When we talk about integrating refugees, we often focus on legal status and access to services. But what about the social connections that truly make a place feel like home?

💬 We'd love to hear your thoughts — drop them in the comments below!

New article on our website 👇

We are excited to share a new in-depth piece exploring one of the most pressing questions in refugee integration today — and how digital innovation may hold part of the answer.

Here's what the article covers:
When Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Europe faced the largest displacement crisis since 1945 — with over 6 million Ukrainians forced to flee westward. Unlike the response to the 2015 refugee crisis, this time Europe moved swiftly: the EU's Temporary Protection mechanism was activated, granting Ukrainians immediate access to residence, healthcare, education, and the labour market.

Yet legal rights alone do not guarantee real integration. Having a right and being able to exercise it are two different things. Public institutions can open doors — but they cannot build the human relationships that make integration truly possible. And as civic engagement declines across European host societies, this "relational gap" is growing.

This is where the VolEver (Volunteers Everywhere) model steps in. The article examines how a structured, digitally-supported volunteering framework can act as a catalyst — connecting refugees with local communities, building trust, and transforming integration from a bureaucratic process into a lived, human experience.

📖 This article was prepared by Clémence Betton, RCL Intern Advocacy Officer, as part of the "Volunteers Everywhere" (VolEver) project.

Read the full article on our website: https://www.refugeeslt.com/post/digital-innovation-for-resilience-the-volever-model-as-a-catalyst-for-transforming-the-integration

The project is co-financed by the European Union.

This article was prepared by Clémence Betton, Intern Advocacy Officer at the Refugee Council of Lithuania (RCL), as part of the "Volunteers Everywhere" (VolEver) project.I. A historic turning point: Europe grapples with the scale of the Ukrainian exodusIn February 2022, Europe is facing the largest...

05/06/2026

New Memorial Database Launched: Mapping the Human Cost of EU Border Policies

A new and vital resource has been launched to document and honor the lives affected by European border policies. migrant.rip is a comprehensive memorial database dedicated to migrants and refugees who have died as a result of border enforcement practices and pushbacks.

The platform functions both as a memorial and an open-access archive, featuring:
✔️Personal stories & names — restoring dignity and individuality to people often reduced to statistics.
✔️Interactive death toll map — visualizing the geographic distribution and scale of fatal incidents.
✔️Chronology & eyewitness testimonies — providing verified timelines and first-hand accounts of events at the borders.
For human rights defenders, legal experts, migration researchers, and support organizations, this database is a valuable tool for advocacy, research, and raising awareness.

We encourage you to explore the platform, use its data in your work, and share it within your professional networks to ensure these stories are not forgotten.

🔗 Visit the database:

Personal stories and statistics of refugees who lost their lives at the EU-Belarus border.

01/06/2026

Calling all entrepreneurs working with communities that have been left behind. The Western Union Global Fellowship, powered by Watson Institute (https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bk4Ni6kYC/?mibextid=wwXIfr), is a fully funded, 16-week program designed to help impact-driven leaders scale their ventures and create lasting change.

The Western Union Global Fellowship, powered by Watson Institute, is a fully funded, 16-week program designed to help impact-driven leaders scale their ventures and create lasting change.

Application deadline June 28, 2026. https://watson.is/western-union-global-
fellowship-application/

28/05/2026

Sometimes war doesn’t only destroy homes.
It destroys identity.
Memory.
The feeling that life still has meaning.

Today, elderly women from Ukraine are living in Lithuania after fleeing the war. Many lost everything they spent a lifetime building.

But there is one thing war cannot destroy:
the human ability to create hope.

“Threads of Hope” is an art therapy project for senior women from Ukraine.
Through sewing, crafts, colors, and human connection, they slowly begin returning to life again.
Not as refugees.
As women who can smile again.

Because sometimes healing does not begin with words.
Sometimes it begins with a needle, a thread, and another human being nearby.

Your donation is not just financial support.
It is a message that says:
“You are not alone.”

If each of us gave even the price of a cup of coffee, someone’s world would become a little warmer, a little safer, a little brighter.

Join us.
Because hope is something we create together.

❤️ https://www.aukok.lt/projektai?projectName=Vilties-Siulai-meno-terapija-senjorems-is-Ukrainos&

25/05/2026

✨ Our Entrepreneurship Program for Women has officially come to an end.

Today, 11 participants presented their final business and social project pitches — from creative brands to impactful community ideas 🚀

We sincerely thank the European Union for supporting this program and empowering women through education and entrepreneurship 🤝🇪🇺