Foreigners
Your New Home in the Czech Republic
An unfamiliar country, traumatic experiences, emotional burden, a lack of information, and an uncertain future: these are all challenges faced by holders of international protection. Through our integration seminars and a comprehensive publication, we strive to provide sensitive support to help them integrate into Czech society.
• Over the course of two years, 300 people who were granted international protection after January 1, 2023, will attend an integration seminar.
• As supplementary material, we are producing the publication "The Czech Republic – Your New Home," which expands upon and complements the topics discussed during the meetings.
• Seminars and all materials are interpreted and translated into English, Ukrainian, Russian, and Arabic. If necessary, meetings will also be interpreted into other languages, such as Belarusian or Chinese.
How exactly do we help?
We organize an eight-hour integration seminar for holders of international protection, led by two instructors and two interpreters who are specially trained to work with this group. During the meetings, participants learn about their rights and obligations in the Czech Republic, as well as Czech culture and customs, housing, job hunting, business, the social system, healthcare, the education system, family matters, leisure time, shopping, finance, and transportation. All these areas are also thoroughly covered in the publication "The Czech Republic – Your New Home," which will be available online in five languages.
Why is it necessary to support holders of international protection?
This is a specific group of people who often come from countries where they have experienced traumatic events. Added to this is the uncertainty regarding how long they will be able to stay in their new country and what the future holds for them. Furthermore, unlike other groups of third-country nationals, such as those with long-term visas or residence permits, holders of international protection often require more care and information. That is why it is important to work with this group sensitively and provide them with the necessary information. The goal of all this is to help these individuals overcome cultural and language barriers so they can better integrate into Czech society.
What is international protection?
International protection is an umbrella term that includes asylum and subsidiary protection for foreigners in the Czech Republic. It is granted to people who cannot safely return to their home country due to the threat of persecution, violence, or armed conflict. In 2023, there were 1,395 applications for international protection recorded in the Czech Republic, with the majority of applicants coming from countries such as Turkey, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Russia.
The project "New Home in the Czech Republic 2024-2026" is co-financed by the European Union.
168 stories of a new beginning. After two years, project Your New Home in the Czech Republic is coming to an end.
A new beginning brings with it many questions and uncertainties. That is why, through the project Your New Home in the Czech Republic, we helped people with international protection find their way around the Czech Republic. Open communication, handled with sensitivity and empathy, often played a key role on the path to integration. As did the opportunity to ask about anything. After two years, the project Your New Home in the Czech Republic is coming to an end, and we are looking back at everything it achieved together with the project's methodologist, Veronika Slavíková.
From Afghanistan to Prague’s Vršovice. Mr. Sultani’s new beginning with his own bistro
He fled his native Afghanistan under dramatic circumstances as the Taliban advanced. Mr. Sultani arrived in the Czech Republic as a recipient of international protection. Navigating a new and complex system, finding a job, and understanding how daily life works was not easy. It was during this time that he joined our New Home project, which helped him organize information and take his first steps in a new reality. Today, he runs his own bistro in Prague’s Vršovice district.
"I didn't want to work as a cleaner just because I'm a foreigner." An interview with Viktoriia Lytvynenko about her new home in the Czech Republic and more.
Viktoria arrived in Prague with her son six years ago in response to the rising tensions in the Donetsk region. Recalling her first weeks in the Czech Republic, she says she felt lost. Among other things, the Slova 21 New Home project, which offers a helping hand to holders of international protection, helped her find her way.
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“Intuition led me right here.” – A conversation with Gleb from Belarus about leaving home unexpectedly and discovering Prague
The 2020 Belarusian elections led to the re-election of the authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko. The situation became complicated for many people who found themselves in uncertainty or danger. The journey of a young man named Gleb to the Czech Republic was a long one. He came into contact with Slovo 21 through the New Home project, which assists holders of international protection.