27 persons repatriated and a total of 80 persons who have requested assistance and counselling: that’s the result of the first four months of activity of the counselling centre for refugees (ZRB) of northern Bavaria, inaugurated by the Minister for Social Affairs Stewens on 1st July this year. The ZRB is a pilot project being run by various humanitarian associations, including Caritas of Fürth and the Bavarian branch of the Red Cross in Nuremberg. The centre provides counselling to refugees about to return to their country of origin and offers information on the country, opportunities for vocational training with a view to more rapid integration in the world of work, and assistance in obtaining documents and return tickets, if refugees have been repatriated. The venture has met with a positive response from its beneficiaries, including those who are not faced by immediate repatriation. Most of those who have so far asked the ZRB for assistance come from Iraq, followed by refugees from Serbia-Montenegro.
