Managing the Expectations of Refugees and Other People in Need of International Protection in Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways Programmes
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Highlights
Information gaps strain refugee sponsorship programmes. Orientation sessions, peer voices, and monitoring are key to setting and managing beneficiary expectations.
- Gaps in information about refugee sponsorship programme operations—where beneficiaries will live and what support they will receive—generate frustration and tension between refugees and sponsors, sometimes breaking down the relationship.
- Predeparture and postarrival orientation sessions are the cornerstone of effective expectations management, covering travel logistics, rights, services, and realistic pictures of life in the destination community.
- Involving past beneficiaries and cross-cultural facilitators in information sessions increases trust and provides more balanced accounts. Digital tools such as apps, social media, and podcasts extend tailored outreach.
- Continuous monitoring—through informal feedback and formal surveys—helps programme managers identify and address expectations-related issues in real time and build evidence for programme improvement.
Managing the expectations of refugees and others in need of international protection who participate in sponsorship and complementary pathway programs is a crucial element of program success. Effective expectation management involves helping people develop a clear understanding of how a program will work, what support they will have, and what life will look like in their new community. This fact sheet explores questions such as: When should expectations management happen? Who should be involved? And what are the best ways to convey information?
This fact sheet is part of the Complementary Pathways Network (COMET) project. Other fact sheets developed by MPI Europe as part of this series cover approaches to matching, monitoring and evaluation, and volunteer engagement in sponsorship and complementary pathway programs.
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