Funded by: STEP UP II Capacity NGO-Fund (2021–2022)
Partner: Syrian Volunteers in the Netherlands (SYVNL)
🔍 About the project
Amid low levels of migrant participation and the resurgence of harmful migration narratives in Spain, Kudwa launched AD-VOZ-CAT to strengthen its advocacy capacity and ensure that migrants and refugees in Catalonia can meaningfully influence public and political spaces.
The project aimed to develop a sustainable, context-specific advocacy strategy, connect with decision-makers, and train a pool of community advocates to represent themselves and their peers.
🎯 Main objectives
- Build a foundation for an effective and sustainable advocacy strategy.
- Develop a better understanding of the Spanish political and public landscape.
- Create and train a network of community advocates able to engage in policymaking.
- Strengthen Kudwa’s organizational capacity to promote refugee participation in Spain.
🤝 Collaboration with SYVNL
SYVNL, a refugee-led organization in the Netherlands with strong experience in refugee participation research and training, supported Kudwa by transferring knowledge, advising on strategy, and leading capacity-building workshops.
While SYVNL provided mentoring and expertise, Kudwa led the overall process, ensuring that the results were tailored to the Catalan and Spanish context.
🧭 Three-step process
- Mapping the Landscape
Kudwa analyzed policymaking processes, identified influential NGOs, key policymakers, and institutions across municipal, regional, and national levels. - Capacity Development
- Produced a policy report with targeted recommendations for stakeholders.
- Organized a refugee-led advocacy workshop based on SYVNL’s research to enhance local advocacy skills.
- Follow-up and Sustainability
- Joint strategy session with SYVNL and Kudwa’s core team to produce adaptable advocacy guidelines.
- Final meeting with policymakers and NGOs to share findings, build alliances, and increase Kudwa’s visibility.
🌍 Impact
AD-VOZ-CAT established one of the first refugee-led advocacy frameworks in Spain, creating a foundation for long-term collaboration between migrant communities and institutions, and highlighting the importance of inclusion in the labour market as a key dimension of integration.
