Hand in Hand
The COS Hand in Hand Refugee Project aims to extend a welcoming sense of community and friendship for status holders by providing support, encouraging integration and helping to expand their social networks.
Current Projects
The Soul Kitchen
Bi-monthly dinners featuring homemade meals, prepared alternately by members of the refugee community and the COS international community. These gatherings create a delightful atmosphere where refugee families, volunteers, and COS community members connect through shared meals and fellowship, while celebrating cultural traditions and learning from one another’s heritage.
Typically, 75–90 people attend each dinner, and to date, over 3,000 participants have taken part in The Soul Kitchen.
Football Clinics for Youth
Started in 2024, this initiative focuses on refugee and asylum-seeking teenage boys and youth, offering weekly football clinics on two pitches with consistently strong attendance. More than just sport, these sessions provide a safe and structured space where young people can be free, make friends, release energy, and experience a sense of belonging through play. The football clinics have become a vital weekly anchor for many participants, supporting social connection, emotional wellbeing, and community building, while also offering some relief to COA staff by creating a positive and engaging environment for the youth.
Outings
The project organizes three to four one-day outings each year for refugee families and volunteers, creating meaningful opportunities for families and the wider community to connect while exploring and enjoying new places together. These shared experiences strengthen relationships, foster inclusion, and encourage cultural discovery in a relaxed and family-friendly setting.
To date, over 20 outings have been organized, with past destinations including Belgium, the Kröller-Müller Museum, the Openluchtmuseum, and Delft.
Chat Café
Launched on 9 May 2023, Chat Café takes place on Tuesday evenings in the Atrium and Loft of the Pastoral Centre. A dedicated group of volunteers meets weekly with refugees from our community in a relaxed and welcoming setting to share personal experiences, play language games, and discuss topics of interest in English.
To date, over 100 participants have attended Chat Café, building confidence, connection, and practical language skills.
Praat Café
The Praat Café follows the same informal and welcoming format as Chat Café, but with a focus on practicing the Dutch language. Volunteers and refugees meet to share personal experiences, play language games, watch Dutch films, and discuss topics of interest in Dutch, creating a fun and supportive learning environment.
Over 100 participants have attended Praat Café to date, strengthening both language skills and social connections.
Sinterklaas at COA Centres
An annual celebration introducing children and families to the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas, with an emphasis on gift-giving, care, and togetherness. Volunteers visit four COA centres across The Hague and surrounding area to celebrate with families and distribute over 200 gifts each year to the children involved, creating moments of joy, connection, and inclusion during the holiday season.
Iftar Meals for Youth
Since 2024, provided Iftar meals during Ramadan for asylum-seeking teenagers and youth who often lack family support or the means to prepare Iftar themselves. Meals are prepared at three COA camps and at COS, and are open to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, fostering care, inclusion, and togetherness.
Liaison Activities
Refugee Communities Liaison
Regular engagement with both newly arrived and established refugee communities—approximately 150 individuals—to share information about COS activities and strengthen connections between refugee communities and the wider COS community.
Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers Liaison
Regular engagement with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and youth, including approximately 170 children (ages 13–17) and 200 youth (ages 18–25). These activities support relationship-building and enable the organization of football sessions and camp-based events.
If you would like more information about our projects, please contact the coordinators via the Parish Office.
“The Hollow Men” Monument
Our parish is honored to be the host of “The Hollow Men” monument, dedicated to the memory of the many refugees who died enroute to try to find a new life in Europe. The memorial, located in the garden next to our church, is a place where anyone is welcome to say a prayer or leave floral tributes in their memory, or in memory of a loved one. Since its inauguration in April 2021, it has become a focal point for various memorial services.
More information about the monument can be found in the following news posts on our website:
Inauguration of “The Hollow Men”