Kopin

Kopin is  a non-profit organisation working on issues of social justice, sustainable  development and human rights (especially on & children’s rights). Thy work in three inter-related fields: global education in Malta, support to refugees and migrants, and sustainable community development in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Their services are focused to those who are most vulnerable among the migrant community in Malta, such as children and youth, including unaccompanied asylum seeking minors, homeless persons, victims of trafficking in human beings, persons with mental health issues, including trauma.

They also provide training and classroom activities to teachers and educators on migrant inclusion in the  context of sustainable development, comprising topics such as diversity,  racism, stereotypes, privilege or Islamophobia and offering tools and  methodologies that are useful for diverse classrooms. Kopin is a founding  member of the Malta Refugee Council, whilst also work in coalition with other refugee support, migrant-led & diaspora organisations involved in Search and Rescue (SAR) in the central Mediterranean to demand that Malta and the EU uphold their human rights obligations.    

Their focus on the Horn of Africa stems from the networks developed in both Ethiopia and Kenya, following research conducted in 2009.  Since then, Kopin has been working with partners in these countries, providing access to essential goods and services such as healthcare, clean energy, HIV/Aids assistance and education. More recently, their projects in Ethiopia have largely focused on the provision of quality early education to children of disadvantaged families living in Akaki Kality, which is a southern suburb of the country’s capital Addis Ababa. In Kenya, they work closely with the youth and community organisation Amani Kibera, providing  empowerment and peace building activities for children and youth. Concerning  advocacy for genuine and effective development cooperation of Malta and the EU, Kopin has been taking a leading role in the AidWatch monitoring process.

Kppin uses the experiences from their work on the ground to develop educational resources, provide training to teachers and educators, deliver activities to students of all levels and give lectures to tertiary students. Topics relate to (un)sustainable development and (forced) migration, and cover subjects such as climate change, food security, tax injustice or cultural  participation. The overarching aim is to stimulate critical (self-)  reflection, challenging ourselves to revisit established perceptions, stereotypes and practices. They also engage in informal learning and awareness raising activities, partnering with other sectors of Malta’s society, for example working with artists in order to create new spaces that can stimulate discussion about relevant topics. They promote alternatives to  mainstream economic activity through research about and dissemination of good  practices of social and solidarity economy, placing people before profits,  and engage in prison education programmes that aim to foster the reintegration of convicts into society.