The Horizon Project - Connecting Local Actors & Refugees to Collaboratively Boost Community

Fonds de Dotation Merci (Merci Endowment Fund) created the Horizon project which seeks to revitalise territories by bringing together refugees, local populations public and private actor, using their collective expertise and experience to develop a set of shared economic, social, and cultural activities. The first project was launched in 2022 in cooperation with the rural municipality of Callac, which involved restoring vacant dwellings to house a hundred refugees, collaborating with local inhabitants on projects, and connecting refugees with employers. It emphasises engagement with local community stakeholders, public authorities, employers, and inhabitants alike, aiming for an overall improvement to the municipality and to break away from the narrative that refugees hamper local communities.

The project is currently on hold while the Fund searches for another location. Read more about this delay here.

Image credit: Yann Kebbi – Fonds de Dotation Merci, Horizon project