Meet Elizabeth Kassinis, Executive Manager of Caritas Cyprus. In this interview, she shares her personal experience of migration and provides insight into the future of migration in Europe. She elaborates on working with many different stakeholders as the leader of an NGO and the challenge of finding time to prioritise mental health and wellbeing.

Interviewed by Abigail Stoffer Ghercea

You have decades of experience in conflict resolution and economic development, working with multilateral, bilateral, and civil society organisations. Where did your particular interest in migration come from?

I cannot help but see the world through a lens of people on the move. I was raised as a first generation American in New York City in the 70s, and then moved to a very different state, Florida, in the 1980s. One of my parents was an intentional immigrant, the other was an accidental one, and both were shocked when I decided to return to Europe – specifically to Cyprus - to live. Interestingly, it took me decades to actually call Cyprus home. All my journeys were very privileged: they were on the basis of choice. I had the luxury of resources and that's not the case for most of the people in the world. People move, they struggle to settle, and yet they never really forget where they came from or where their ancestors came from. I think this is where my fascination with migration is rooted.

While my master’s thesis had a refugee focus and dealing with displacement was germane to my work with USAID in Cyprus, working with Caritas more recently has made migration a major focus of my work day-to-day. Migration is one of those ‘wicked’ issues. It has multiple facets—affected by everything and in turn affecting everything. Climate change and conflict force people from their homes; economic possibilities attract people to new places; markets need newcomers who then change the dynamic of the societies that host them. I'm not sure I set out to work on migration but it has been part of most of my professional life. Maybe it was meant to be?

Migration is one of those ‘wicked’ issues. It affects everything.

Migration is also a leading issue in Europe, reflected in the recent European Parliament elections. The New Pact on Migration and Asylum has also been adopted after years of negotiations. In light of this, how do you see the future of migration in Europe?

The word that comes to mind is “contentious”! Solutions to some of the issues created by contemporary migration flows are elusive. It's hard to know where to start when something is as complicated. I think Europe is struggling to reconcile a number of different conflicting forces. For example, we have an aging population in Europe that, on some level, recognises the important contributions that migrants have made over the years and can make in filling critical gaps. People of a migrant background are part and parcel of European societies, and they have brought and bring skills, energy, and innovation. But there's a part of Europe that's more concerned about the changes that newcomers bring and the increase in irregular (or what is perceived as irregular) migration means. A lot of the EU’s new Pact on migration is about managing what we've now come to understand are going to be unavoidable flows that will likely meet increasing skepticism and empathy fatigue at a societal level. Let’s face it; it is unlikely that the pressures of conflict, poverty, and climate change will let up and so neither will desires to get to Europe.

The reality is that most of the people who are forcibly displaced in the world stay within the borders of their own country or in those of a neighboring country. In 2021 Europe hosted around 10% of the world's refugee population and, after the war in Ukraine, this figure went up to about 20%. Although that's still a small percentage of the total worldwide, that's not how many Europeans feel. Nor is it necessarily the way it's portrayed by the media and by politicians and so this then leads us to the results of the recent EU parliamentary elections, which suggest that people feel under crisis. This sense of being in crisis is going to drive how migration is managed and governed in Europe in the coming years.

The reality is that most of the people who are forcibly displaced in the world stay within the borders of their own country or in those of a neighboring country.

Caritas Cyprus is dedicated to assisting vulnerable populations by providing direct support and by advocating for improved policies and services to benefit these groups. As Executive Manager, you oversee all these operations and functions, including programming funding from a variety of donors. Could you explain what a typical day looks like for you and what you enjoy the most in your role? How do you balance working with such a wide range of stakeholders?

Caritas works at the grassroots level—it strives to meet its beneficiaries where they are and accompany them when needed. This perspective makes us better able to advocate for individual cases, for policy change and for social justice overall. The biggest challenge—no surprise—is of course attracting and maintaining the resources required to keep the doors open and the bills paid. A typical day for me reflects all of this. Typically I will have some contact with those who come to Caritas for assistance and of course with the very dedicated team on the frontlines. In fact, my day today started this way. I got out of my car and being the first one in answered some questions from someone who had come out of camp of first reception a few weeks ago and still didn't have a job or a place to live. Most days, I spend time interacting with the government in some way or with our many partners which include other organisations supporting vulnerable groups and embassies or UNHCR who are often trying to understand or influence decisions and policies that might improve circumstances on the island. Then, of course, there's the donor piece. I spend a lot of time reporting back on projects that we run, cultivating new contacts that might lead to additional resources, and applying for European or other international funding where possible.

The most gratifying part is talking to so many different people—I feel fortunate to be able to interact with refugees, researchers, interns, journalists, donors (big and small) all on the same day.

Do you have any advice for women aiming to have a leadership position in an NGO? What advice would you have liked to hear earlier in your career?

Leading an NGO is no different to leading any other organisation. You need soft skills and the technical skills for the field. But I think that the stakes are—and can feel—a little higher leading an NGO. For companies, profit is a key motivator and an easy metric, but this does not apply to NGOs.  Success is harder to measure and sometimes impossible to prove. Being an NGO leader, you have to be clear about defining your purpose and vision, and then making sure that your resources match what you're trying to do.

If I could go back, the advice I would give is to look for and cultivate mentors. We're often afraid to expose vulnerabilities or to seem needy or even opportunistic, and so people don't necessarily reach out and ask questions or for advice. We don’t ask potential mentors to help or to share their experience. Networks, like WIL, help with being able to talk to others and hearing about others’ experiences. This brings new perspective and ideas. Not every interaction has to be a ‘lead’, but every interaction is a learning opportunity.

For companies, profit is a key motivator and an easy metric, but this does not apply to NGOs. Success is harder to measure and sometimes impossible to prove. Being an NGO leader, you have to be clear about defining your purpose and vision, and then making sure that your resources match what you’re trying to do.

Working in an NGO that assists vulnerable populations often means facing heavy realities on a daily basis. How do you prioritise your mental health?

This question made me hopeful that we're all finally recognising the importance of mental health at work, because it's long been neglected. In an organisation like Caritas, which is small and front facing, we experience a tremendous amount of burnout. One of the things we did to combat this was to institute a ‘wellness hour’ every week where we insist that everyone take an hour, somewhere between the core hours of 9 and 4, to do something that relieves stress. People take walks, a yoga class or even a longer lunch. We feel pretty privileged as an organisation to be able to offer this, but I think it is something that needs to be done by most organisations that rely on their people to stay well.

For me, personally, I like to read, and I particularly love historical fiction. I have a book club that has provided me with a wonderful refuge for years. I love about a book I’ve read in a group setting, but in fact we end up talking about everything else too, which is therapy in and of itself. I also really enjoy cooking and watching competitive cooking shows.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? This can be professional, personal, or even both.

It sounds so lofty to talk about achievements, but one of the things I am most proud of is the work I did on cultural heritage in Cyprus with the US Agency for International Development. I worked on projects that brought together people from both sides of the divide to restore historical monuments, ancient site and artifacts, religious buildings and neighborhoods. Despite their differences, people were willing to work together, for the sake of things they cared about and which were part of their shared history—and the world’s cultural heritage which is significant for all of us.

On a more personal note, I am proud to think that I, in a small way, contributed to the development of the young people that I've had the opportunity to work with in the last few years, whether as interns or as students or just as encounters. It’s been gratifying to spent time working with young people looking to find their voice. I am humbled to think that I have been part of their story. I'm also proud to see how some of the young people I love most, my nieces and nephews, the children of my friends, my goddaughters, and my daughters have developed and come into their own. Closest to home, I see a social and environmental consciousness and a capacity for empathy in my  two wonderful daughters. This makes me hopeful because think the world needs these things more than ever. We're lost otherwise.

Video Edited by Tara Arnott