This year, Friends House Moscow (FHM) started funding a project in Kaluga that works with local schools to help integrate migrant children into the host community. Kaluga is a mid-sized city about 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Moscow. In the past, no extra time or resources were allocated for the support of migrant children, so this project is essential to ensure their successful integration into Russian society. Specifically, the project trains teachers in how to interact with children who come from a non-Russian culture and do not speak the language. It also provides books and board games in order to help speed up the children’s language acquisition and their knowledge of Russian society and culture.
Twenty schools participate in this project, and the funding from FHM supports the participation of ten of these schools. It is estimated that over 1,000 children have been helped so far. Initial feedback from teachers so far is very positive, and there are plans to roll out a similar program in Novosibirsk in Siberia. This project is a part of FHM’s larger involvement with refugees and migrants in Russia. A detailed report appears in the spring newsletter, available on FHM’s website.
Learn more: Friends House Moscow
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