Pharos Migrant Ambassador model

The project

The Pharos “Sleutelpersonen” (translated from Dutch to English here as “migrant ambassadors”) model sees volunteers with migrant backgrounds selected and trained to bridge the service gap which is often experienced between (health care) service providers and migrant communities in the Netherlands. The migrant ambassadors are a pool of individuals who have fulfilled most or all of their integration obligations and have a solid understanding of the Dutch health care system. Their familiarity with Dutch culture and society as well as integration considerations, native customs and traditions ensures that migrant ambassadors are equipped to provide support to Dutch service providers and migrant communities. Their expertise allows them to conduct relationship building, liaison, group discussions, information dissemination, cultural sensitivity trainings, data collection and awareness building. This can range from practical support in the form of accompanying a newly arrived refugee on a doctor’s visit, to an advisory role in municipalities’ development of integration policies. Requests for support may be ad hoc or more structural. Pharos recognizes the need for greater liaison between service providers and migrant communities beyond just the health care sector, as well as the cross-cutting nature of health on all aspects of migrant participation. For this reason, migrant ambassadors are active in supporting service providers from various sectors in the Netherlands.  

Since its inception in 2016, over 180 migrant ambassadors have joined the initiative and completed the training. In October 2020 the pool of active migrant ambassadors consisted of 143 persons, who were located in various geographical locations across the Netherlands. Thus, allowing for nation-wide reach of the initiative. At the time of writing, 34 languages were spoken within the pool of migrant ambassadors, and expertise centered upon:  

1. healthcare in migrant communities; 
2. palliative care; 
3. sexual violence; 
4. female genital mutilation. 

Between 2018-2020, together with Pharos, Rutgers and Arq National Psychotrauma Center, IOM led the PROTECT project. Through PROTECT, 13 migrant ambassadors were trained to provide information and referral to migrants across the Netherlands on the topic of sexual and gender-based violence. As a bridge-building function, migrant ambassadors also collected key information about patterns of violence, gaps in service and recommendations which were conveyed to service providers for the improvement of services to migrants affected by violence. Over 750 migrants in the Netherlands received information, support and counselling from a migrant ambassador through the PROTECT project.  

The strength of the initiative is that it is a formal structure that empowers migrants to support other migrants in a manner that is culturally sensitive and relevant to migrants, while upholding the principles of professionalism and tailor-made care. Migrant ambassadors fill a gap between service providers and migrant communities thanks to their own personal experiences with migration and integration, their own professional backgrounds in healthcare/social work/interpretation and their knowledge of Dutch policy and procedure. Pharos is the national expert center for addressing health inequalities in the Netherlands and has provided scientific knowledge and practical care to professionals as well as beneficiaries for over 30 years. Through association with Pharos, migrant ambassadors in their volunteer roles are able to strengthen the relationship between Dutch professionals and migrant beneficiaries, with the support of a well-regarded, established, professional institution.

The impact of the good practice

For the migrant beneficiaries of this initiative it has improved migrant access to adequate health care in the Netherlands. Similarly, the liaison function of the migrant ambassadors improves the access and capacity of service providers to cater to migrant communities for whom they work. The migrant ambassadors have affinity with or professional experience in health care themselves. For migrant ambassadors their role as volunteers can support their own skill set and career path.  The experience as a migrant ambassadors is an opportunity to expand their network, practice their Dutch language skills, immerse themselves into a professional environment in a host institution and enhance technical skills; all of which can aid ambitions toward paid (self-) employment in a similar role and to advance their integration. 

The impact varies and is dependent on the extent to which host institutions are able to effectively facilitate the work of the migrant ambassador who is supporting them. This requires efficient communication and expectation management between migrant ambassador and host institution in particular, and with Pharos more generally.