Cairo, 13 March 2018 – In a workshop gathering various stakeholders, IOM Egypt launched the revamped version of the online migrant informarion sharing platform, BOSLA. The event was attended by various UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs) and private sector agencies that provide services for migrants and the Egyptian communities hosting them.  The event also explored the prospect of using BOSLA as a channel to improve communication among organizations and outreach to  the beneficiaries.

Bosla (Compass in Arabic) was developed, to serve as a repository for information regarding basic services available to migrants in Egypt, such as legal services and living assistance, featuring partner agencies across Egypt. The website includes an interactive directory of local organizations that provide services, allows forum discussions and promotes activities for the benefit of migrant communities in Egypt. Users can provide feedback and inputs to service providers on the quality of services, ask questions, interact with each other, and share relevant information on the online forum. The platform also functions as a mobile application for smart phones, including Android and Apple.

The workshop followed the “World Café” model for ideas and expertise exchange.  The model is participatory, interactive and dynamic. The outcome of this event was centered around the best practices, and recommendations regarding three key topics: community cohesion, donors & grants, and outreach to target beneficiaries..“This is a great opportunity for us to get together and share our experiences in the field. The World Café exercise enabled us to look in depth into our challenges, share our best practices and think outside the box of how we can make a better use of Bosla in this regard” said a representative from a community-based organization.

Other key features available on Bosla include advertising work opportunities as well as publishing information related to upcoming events, scholarships, trainings, and educational opportunities.

Bosla was initially launched and revamped within the framework of the European Union-funded programme, "Stabilizing at-risk communities and enhancing migration management to enable smooth transitions in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya – START". The current regional expansion of the platform has been supported by another EU-funded programme ,“The Regional Development and Protection Programme for North Africa (RDPP NA)” which responds to migration challenges by building the resilience and capacity of host communities and migrants to ensure community cohesion.

This initiative supports the accomplishment of UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 Quality Education, 10 Reduced Inequalities and 17 Partnerships for the Goals. It also contributes to the realization of Egypt’s Sustainable Development Strategy: Vision 2030, in particular the Education and Training Pillar.