The Refugee Integration Work (FIA) is one of the projects within Austrian Baptist Aid.
This cooperation between Austrian Baptist Aid and individual church communities has a long history: From help for Jews in the Third Reich, help for refugees after the end of the war, help for Hungary after the uprising in the 1950s, help for Czechs in the 1960s, help for refugees from Eastern Europe before 1989, through to refugee and integration work among asylum seekers and migrants today.
As a result of the refugee crisis, we have seen growth in our (international) churches since 2015. As we seek to help our friends who have been forced to flee we face new challenges: the complicated process of the asylum procedure, the cultural change and dealing with emotional trauma. In the refugee integration work, we aim to share in each other’s lives in friendship and in hope.
German-speaking students offer language courses. Lawyers and teachers, social workers and professors bring their skills and expertise. Pastors and counsellors accompany people along their journey.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, our FIA work has also expanded to support numerous families who have fled from there, be it with accommodation, emergency care, the development of social networks or a spiritual home in one of our churches.
