The Challenge

Within the joint programme “Supporting protection and integration of children and families in migration in Croatia” by Secretariat for Migration (SEM) of Swiss Confederation and UNICEF Office for Croatia and funded by the Rapid Response Fund of the Second Swiss Contribution in the area of migration, Brave Phone was one of the implementing partners. Its role was to ensure availability of mental health and psychosocial support for refugee and migrant children. .  

It required expanding access to mental health and psychosocial support for refugee and migrant families, but major barriers stood in the way:

• Refugee and migrant children and families often could not communicate in Croatian, limiting their ability to receive timely support.

• Traditional translation methods were too slow, too costly, or not confidential enough for sensitive conversations.

• Counselors needed a solution that worked instantly, securely, and across many languages at once.

As a result, the most vulnerable groups were at risk of going without mental health and psychosocial support.  

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The Solution

Graia’s Real-Time AI Translation technology was integrated directly into Brave Phone’s chat-based counseling platform.

Key capabilities included:

• Instant two-way translation across English, French, Turkish, Ukrainian, Pashto, Arabic, Russian and Croatian

• GDPR-compliant, secure deployment suitable for sensitive conversations

• Built-in analytics showing session counts, repeat interactions, and demographic data

• No change to counselor workflows, preserving a familiar interface.

The solution allowed refugee and migrant children and families to finally speak in their own language - breaking down barriers to mental health and psychosocial support.  

The Results

According to Brave Phone’s operational team and counselors:

• 951 sessions conducted across 8 languages within the twelve months of deployment, from which 44 in foreign languages

• Children and families could communicate naturally in their own language for the first time

• Counselors reported the system was easy to use, efficient, and felt natural in real-world interactions

• Features such as automated translation, session history, and contact tracking improved counselor productivity and experience.

“Automatic translation allowed us to extend services to a wider audience. The system feels natural for users and efficient for our team.” Head of Recruitment, Mplus (Brave Phone’s program partner)

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Future Plans

Brave Phone and Graia plan to expand:

• More languages will be added

• Support across all communication channels, not just chat

• Potential integration of team coordination and shift management tools

• Deeper analytics for improved program insights.

This ensures that services remain scalable, sustainable, and accessible.

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