The high influx of migrants in Sweden and Europe resulted in difficulties faced by the host countries. This high entry of refugees in Sweden could be a result of natural disasters, political instability, war, marginalisation, and economic instability. This thesis was aimed at examining the contributions of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to the integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Sweden.

A qualitative method was used to carry out this research. The research design was a case study with purposive sampling of 8 participants who were representatives from CSOs with whom I conducted interviews. The grounded theory method was used where by data were collected qualitatively to get the insight perspectives of the interviewees. The grounded theory results showed that CSOs play an important role in refugee integration in Sweden as they play the role of intermediaries between refugees and the Swedish government by providing services and programs such as employment facilities through training and mentorship programs, language centers, and sports activities. They also play the role of advocacy and social inclusion as they teach them about the norms of society through cultural events and advocate their rights.

The finding later revealed challenges such as project sustainability, financial constraints, and language barriers CSOs face to refugees’ integration in Sweden. However, the findings revealed the solutions to these problems such as partnership and collaboration with the Swedish government and non-governmental organisations, shared tasks, and multilingual individuals. This theory has been able to come out with possible recommendations that suits refugee integration in Sweden. This recommendation could benefit other countries in their attempt to integrate refugees.

Lastly, the study suggested further research should focus on the comparison of the effectiveness of CSOs integration programs between organisations in Sweden and those of other countries. Also, further research should focus on quantitative methodology where a large geographic area and population will be studied to enable generalisability. Relating this study with Work Integrated Learning (WIL), it shows that the relation between WIL and CSO projects is important for refugee integration as students are exposed to real work activities that increases their experience and building a strong community. As a WIL student, the experience and information collected from my study has shaped my career as I did not just have a deep understanding of how CSOs function, but I got engaged in some of their projects which increased my skills.