Resilience Through Socio-Economic Inclusion of Displacement-Affected Populations in Costa Rica

This Lives in Dignity Grant Facility-funded socio-economic integration project (February 2022 - January 2025) in Costa Rica, implemented by Fundación Mujer and Fundación Ayuda en Acción, addressed the complex challenges facing displacement-affected populations including refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants primarily from Nicaragua and Venezuela, who face barriers to integration such as limited access to formal employment, discrimination, and challenges in obtaining documentation and essential services. The initiative promoted sustainable socioeconomic integration through an innovative multi-sector approach that combined job placement, vocational training, and entrepreneurship interventions with protection components including psychosocial and legal support, while improving educational quality and access to rights information for youth and incorporating community-based disaster risk reduction aligned with Costa Rica's MIRPS commitments. Key achievements included creating specialized technical training programs in high-demand areas like Costa Rican Cuisine, Baking, Painting, Repair, and Plumbing, developing advocacy plans to raise awareness of MIRPS commitments, implementing gender violence prevention through campaigns and specialized support services, building disaster risk reduction capacity with meteorological stations and early warning systems, and establishing support networks between refugees and local communities that encouraged inclusion and mutual enrichment. The project's strength lay in leveraging the complementary strengths of its partners—AeA's extensive networks with national and local authorities and FM's strong connections with private-sector actors—enabling them to act as effective facilitators bringing together key stakeholders to integrate displaced persons into new communities while holding authorities accountable and re-establishing the social contract.