QNUSHYO: Advice Hub of RESPOND in Istanbul
QNUSHYO operates as an Advice Hub (Hope: Advice hub for refugees) for the RESPOND project. Amongst the various projects of RESPOND, the Advice Hub is an initiative that creates a safe space for the refugees and helps them integrate in host community through various measures.
The name 'Hope' has been used intentionally to inculcate in the migrants, while in transition, a sense of empowerment and optimism to remedy the stress caused by their journey and the inhibitions they may harbor for their future. The project runs on a trial basis for the first year with support from RESPOND in Turkey and Iraq. It will later be implemented in other transit countries.
QNUSHYO operates on three cardinal values; community, integrity and empowerment. They collaborate with other agencies and partners in their community to give agency to the migrants and the volunteers within an honest, transparent and ethical framework.
The aim of the establishment of an Advice Hub is to empower the refugees to enter the labour market by giving them legal and practical advice that will give them access to local companies that want to hire migrants. The collaboration between the RESPOND research project and the Advice Hub ensures that the advice that is being given to the migrants is based on up to date policies, implementations and personal experiences of refugees.
Through this methodology, the project ensures a system where a voice is given to the refugees. At QNUSHYO, the activities are designed in a way to give the refugees a platform for self- expression and empowerment through art, cooking and other creative and practical activities. Through these activities the refugees gain representation, which impacts the research at RESPOND. Further, it creates a viable channel of communication between the researchers, the community centre and the refugees that can translate into effective policy and implementation.
The distinctiveness of QNUYSHO lies in its partnership of the distinct actors and agencies. The platform actively involves the help of local and international volunteers to facilitate the migrant's integration in transit countries through practical advice and support. As a result of these collaborative strategies the migrants have been able to adapt their skills and professional qualifications to the local context to be able to meet their basic needs. It has given them the agency to live a dignified life whilst in transition of finding a permanent country of residence.
