Physical Health Netherlands Project #72435

AWB Netherlands Refugee Support Project

by Acupuncturists Without Borders

Project Report | Sep 19, 2026
Care that continues to evolve in the Netherlands

By Christine Cronin | Executive Director

Thank you so much for your continued support of this work. AWB's refugee support work in the European Union builds on more than a decade of experience that began in refugee camps in Greece. Today, Acupuncturists Without Borders Netherlands (AWB NL) leads our efforts in Europe, providing care to refugees and asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East, Bosnia, Ukraine, and elsewhere.

An important part of the program's growth has been AWB NL's relationship with the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA), the Dutch government agency responsible for supporting people seeking asylum in the Netherlands. This relationship helps make ongoing access to care possible. As of September 2026, AWB NL has 10 clinic sites throughout the Netherlands, with eight currently active and two on summer recess.

More than 4,500 treatments have been provided in the past year, offering support for stress, anxiety, pain, difficulty sleeping, and other trauma-related symptoms. Some clinics are held monthly and others every two weeks, supported by dozens of trained volunteers. AWB NL also continues to recruit and train additional practitioners to sustain existing clinics and reach more communities.

Each clinic develops in response to the community it serves. At the Rasom.Haarlem clinic, practitioners can offer ear and scalp acupuncture, cupping, and other therapies to help with pain and relaxation. Just as important, the clinic provides a place where people can sit together, receive care, and find a little peace. Located in the center of Haarlem, it is also one of the few AWB NL clinics open to everyone.

Your support helps keep these clinics running, train practitioners, and make this care available to people who might otherwise have difficulty accessing it.

Thank you so much for supporting AWB Netherlands in this work and for all you do to make the world a more compassionate place.

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May 22, 2026
Amazing growth in the past 6 months!

By Christine Cronin | Executive Director

Thank you so much for supporting this work. Your generosity is doing far more than funding a program—it is helping restore dignity, hope, and healing to people who have endured unimaginable hardship. Because of you, lives are being changed in real and meaningful ways.

AWB Netherlands (AWB NL) continues to lead our European refugee care initiatives, serving refugees and asylum seekers from Africa, the Middle East, Bosnia, and Ukraine. What began as a small effort has grown into a network of 10 active clinic sites across the Netherlands, supported by dozens of trained trauma-informed care volunteers dedicated to providing compassionate, accessible treatment within community settings.

In just the past six months, more than 2,400 treatments have been delivered. These clinics offer relief from stress, anxiety, trauma, and emotional overwhelm for people navigating extraordinary circumstances. Alongside direct patient care, our impact continues to grow through ongoing practitioner education and training, including an in-person trauma-informed care training in Frankfurt this month.

Yet the need continues to grow.

Every day, more individuals arrive carrying invisible wounds—the grief of loss, the fear of uncertainty, and the trauma that displacement leaves behind. Too often, these experiences go untreated simply because safe, compassionate care is out of reach.

To meet this growing need, AWB Netherlands is actively recruiting and training additional practitioners so we can expand into new communities and open more clinics.

One practitioner beautifully described the transformation they witness each week:

“There was a man looking very sad so I invited him to join our circle. He looked a bit afraid but came anyway, we did the ear protocol, and after 20 minutes he began to cry. He looked so relieved. I could see it in his eyes."

These moments matter deeply. They remind us that healing begins when people feel seen, safe, and cared for.

Your support makes these spaces of healing possible.

With continued funding, we can sustain our existing clinics, train more trauma-informed practitioners, and reach even more refugees and displaced families with the care they urgently need.

Thank you for all you do to help make the world a more compassionate place!

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Jan 21, 2026
Providing support to those in need!

By Christine Cronin | Executive Director

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