BUDDY PROGRAMME · NORWAY

The formal support stops. The questions do not. That is where a buddy comes in.

Ukrainians in Norway, matched with a local resident who keeps showing up. Coffee. Walks. Help reading a letter from the school. Free.

What it looks like

Iryna arrived in Stavanger with her two sons in April 2022.

She found housing through the municipality. She enrolled the boys in school. She registered at NAV. Then the formal support stopped. And the questions that nobody answers started.

Which grocery store is cheapest. How to read the electricity bill. What "dugnad" means and whether she has to participate. Why Norwegian parents let small children walk to school alone. How to respond when the teacher writes a message she can half-understand.

Iryna does not need a social worker. She needs a friend who knows how Norway works.

Her buddy Astrid helped her understand the electricity bill, find a cheaper grocery store, and explain to the school that Iryna's sons do not eat pork.

A quiet kitchen table in the evening, a laptop and a cup left waiting

They have coffee every Wednesday. Iryna says it is the only appointment she looks forward to.

All names are composites. They represent real situations drawn from programme data but do not identify specific individuals.

Not a service.
Not a course.
Not casework.

A friend.

A buddy is a local who knows how Norway works. There is no curriculum and no file to process. Coffee, a walk, the small questions answered, and a new city slowly starts to feel like home.

Two people. One city.

Every match is local: a Ukrainian settling into a Norwegian city, and a resident who already lives there. Start on your side.

New to Norway

You handled the paperwork. The everyday is easier with a local.

Tell us a little about yourself and get matched with a resident in your city, someone who can answer the questions nobody else does. It is free, and it takes a few minutes.

Get matched

Living in Norway

You already know how Norway works. That is exactly what someone needs.

If you can meet someone twice a month, you are qualified. Coffee, walks, and the occasional letter from the school.

Become a buddy

HOW IT WORKS

Not a programme with modules and certificates.

Match

Meet

Everyday help

Matched locally

Matched with a local resident in the same city. The match considers geography, interests, and family situation.

At least twice a month

Coffee, walks, a trip to the hardware store. Language practice happens naturally, not in a classroom.

The questions in between

Help reading a letter from the school. Understanding the electricity bill. The things formal support does not cover.

Active in six cities.

Matches are local, so the programme runs city by city.

Oslo

Bergen

Stavanger

Trondheim

Kristiansand

Drammen

WHO RUNS IT

Free, for both people.

The Buddy Programme is run by The Educational Equality Institute. It matches Ukrainians in Norway with local residents in their own city, and it costs nothing on either side of the match.

It runs on people who show up. If you live in Norway and can meet someone twice a month, you are qualified.

Six cities

Twice a month

Free, always

501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 33-2331817. Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency holder.