Voluntary Assisted Returns and Reintegration Programme is a UK government voluntary returns and reintegration program. Under this program WELDO provided assistance to hundreds of returnees coming back to Pakistan through provision of :-

• Meet and Greet assistance at the airport
• Onward travel assistance from airport to doorstep
• Provision of mobile calling facility
• Food and refreshments
• Medical facilitation
• Longterm Accommodation 
• Business Start up
• Business set up
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training Assistance
• Job Assistance
• etc.

The project was one of the first projects to provide both longterm and short term reintegration services to those who returned to Pakistan voluntarily. 

Enable Assist Sensitize and Trail (EAST) aimed at provision of economic reintegration services to both forced and voluntary returnees coming back to Pakistan. The project assisted hundreds of returnees through provision of a host of long term reintegration services. As a parallel program to other returns program EAST resulted in increasing the number of voluntary returnees from UK to Pakistan. Under EAST returnees were provided 

• Realtime job training through facilitated recruitment in major corporations across Pakistan
• Provision of technical and vocational training through various TVET institutes across Pakistan
• Job placement in Middle Eastern countries
• Job placement within Pakistan
• Interview preparation assistance
• Apprenticeship training
• Business start up training
• Psychosocial assistance through Focus Group Discussion 

If you are interested in providing the aforementioned services to returnees coming back from your country to Pakistan please contact us at info at weldo dot org. 

Every year hundreds of thousands of forced returnees reach Pakistan without any financial, economic or psycho-social support. When these returnees arrive at the airport they are in immediate need of support like assistance to clear immigration desk, to call their loved ones to let them know they have arrived in Pakistan, refreshments, onward travel assistance, overnight accommodation, medical facilitation etc. 

RESPECT aimed at provision of short-term reintegration services to returnees coming back to Pakistan through chartered flights. WELDO received over 70 chartered flights under the project and provided the following assistance to the returnees :-

• Info booklet with information about government offices, hospitals, registration documentation acquisition information etc
• Immigration desk clearance for those who had the right to be in Pakistan
• Provision of refreshments 
• Provision of cash assistance
• Provision of onward travel support from airport till the doorstep
• Provision of overnight accommodation 
• Provision of medical facilitation services

Return counseling services are more effective if provided by the organization in countries of origin as they understand the cultural, social and lingual needs and subtleties. In more times than often WELDO has experienced that potential returnees are more open to those who speak their local dialect than interpreters who translate counselors words for them. OPTIONS was built on this important principle that counseling services are more effective if provided by WELDO as WELDO had a wealth of experience in working with returnees and also understood the social, cultural and linguistic needs of the potential returnees. 

During this project WELDO counselors visited various immigration reporting centers and immigration centers in UK and provided return counseling services to Pakistani nationals who were stranded in UK. 

Through this project WELDO was instrumental in increasing the returns from UK to Pakistan by 300%.  Other services in the project included compilation of audio-visual information material to assist potential in making an informed decision to return to Pakistan. WELDO also reached out to Pakistani diaspora to spread the word to those who were neither available in the immigration removal centers nor at the reporting centers. 

Diaspora communities play an important part not only in information dissemination but also as networks that provide support to illegal migrants. WELDO currently is establishing outreach to Pakistani and Afghan diaspora communities through Europe, United States and Canada. 

Project ERI- European Reintegration Instrument enabled return and reintegration of returnees of Pakistani Origin from partner European states. Project involved provision of both short-term on arrival services and long-term reintegration support services.

• Immediate Assistance: Meet & greet at airports, overnight accommodation, in-country travel arrangements, medical assistance to referred returnees.
• Long term reintegration services: Housing arrangements and education enrolment for families, business startup counselling and assistance, technical and vocational training enrolments, referrals to various networks. and regular followups.

The project Coming Home Booklet addressed returnees / detainees post arrival apprehensions by providing information about on-arrival assistance and long-term reintegration and resettlement options available in Pakistan. The booklet offered completed guidance on what to expect during transit / upon arrival and step-by-step guide on how to avail on-arrival return services straight from the airport.
Booklet contains all the relevant information that is deemed helpful for post arrival reintegration in Pakistan such as how to access basic registration documentation (NICs/ birth certificates etc.), legal services, health and social services, addresses and contact details for housing and educational institutions along with advice on setting up of a small business, referrals to social networks, recruitment agencies and available technical and vocational training facilities.

Project ERIN-European Reintegration Instrument Network aimed at the sustainable return and reintegration of returnees (either voluntary or non-voluntary ) returning to Pakistan with cooperation between ERIN partner  European host countries. Services given below: –

• Leaflets, briefing notes and dedicated webpage for returnees.
• Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for direct counselling of returnees and for communication with social counsellors
• On arrival assistance including airport pickup, overnight stay, in-country onward travel arrangements and medical assistance.
• Tailor made Psycho-social support, referrals to various community networks, signposting to various government departments for documentation.
• Long term reintegration service including, Housing, language trainings and education enrolment, business startup counselling and assistance, technical and vocational training enrolments and job placement support through CV preparation/job referrals.
• Support services including family tracing visits with unaccompanied minors.

Project ERSO–SURE was aimed at providing medical and psychosocial support to vulnerable returnees from Europe to their home country Pakistan.

• Pre-departure contact building with vulnerable returnees
  On-Arrival support services including meet & greet at airport, in-country travel arrangements and overnight stay facility.
• Psycho-social support to vulnerable returnees through one-on-meeting and referrals to various networks and well-being support institutions.
• Medical assistance and referrals to returnees with disabilities / urgent medical issues.

ERRIN (Specific Action Program) is a comprehensive returns and reintegration project, financed by the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and implemented by partner countries i.e. Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy,Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,Romania, Spain, Sweden,Switzerland and United Kingdom.

Under the ERRIN (Specific Action Program), voluntary and non-voluntary returnees from the aforementioned partner countries can be entitled to post-arrival-reintegration assistance. The returnees may belong to different categories e.g. rejected asylum seekers or vulnerable returnees.

Returnee under ERRIN (Specific Action Program) are eligible for a number of reintegration services given below:

• Pre-departure Counselling
• Reception Service at the airport
• Onward travel assistance
• Technical and Vocational Training Assistance
• Job Placement Assistance
• Business Start Up Assistance
• Medical Facilitation Assistance
• Temporary Accommodation etc.

ERRIN LEAFLET

ERIN Specific Action is an AMIF funded returns and reintegration project aimed at provision of returns and reintegration services from various EU countries to countries of origin. WELDO is the sole implementation partner of the project exclusively for Pakistan. 

Under the project WELDO provided a number of returns and reintegration services to returnees coming back to Pakistan. These services included

1. Social and Psychosocial Support

2. Legal Support Facilitation

3. Health Support Facilitation

4. Business Startup Support

5. Economic Support

6. Meet and Greet at the airport

7. Onward Travel Assistance

8. Provision of refreshments at the airport

9. Family Tracing Services. 

10. Etc

JRS – Frontex is a multinational returns and reintegration initiative being led by Frontex. JRS encompasses longterm and short-term reintegration and returns services to both voluntary and non-voluntary returnees. Frontex JRS spans all Europe and several countries of origin. WELDO is the implementing partner of the project and is specifically providing services under JRS in Pakistan. Under the JRS returnees are eligible for a number of services. For more details please click here.

ERIN Slow Track though awarded to another organisation initially was shut down midway. WELDO was requested to provide reintegration services to returnees who could not be provided reintegration services under the project. These services included :

• Meet and Greet assistance at the airport
• Onward travel assistance from airport to doorstep
• Provision of mobile calling facility
• Food and refreshments
• Medical facilitation
• Longterm Accommodation
• Business Start up
• Business set up
• Technical and Vocational Education and Training Assistance
• Job Assistance
• etc