In Ukraine, there are numerous civil society and charitable organizations that help people overcome the challenges of wartime. Each organization has its own priorities and expertise in specific areas. However, those in need of support often do not know where to turn for assistance, as there is no unified database outlining the activities and useful contacts of organizations working with affected people.
On March 16, we held a coordination meeting with our partners in Odesa to address this issue. The event took place within the framework of the “Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons” project, funded by the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
The meeting was attended by UNHCR representative Volodymyr Bielienkyi, representatives from Inter SOS, Right to Protection, The Tenth of April, and the Odesa project team: regional coordinator Stanislav Troshyn and regional lawyer Anton Honcharenko.
Volodymyr Bielienkyi emphasized the meeting’s objective: to develop a mechanism for providing referral assistance between civil society and charitable organizations, allowing people to be quickly directed to teams that can competently provide specific types of assistance.
During the event, participants discussed their organizations’ areas of work. For instance, Right to Protection runs a cash assistance program, The Tenth of April offers legal advice and secondary legal aid, and Inter SOS provides medical and counseling support.
Stanislav Troshyn introduced his colleagues to the Stabilization Support Services charity foundation’s projects, particularly those aimed at bolstering the capacity of the social protection system, such as updating the equipment, supporting the creation of community social passports and IDP councils, providing legal advice, conducting educational webinars, and more.
Volodymyr Bielienkyi suggested consolidating information from all organizations into a single document with each organization’s contact information and area of expertise, such as psychological or humanitarian support, general legal advice, or consultation on IDP registration and benefits.
This standardized approach will enable civil society and charitable organizations in the Odeska Oblast to see their partners’ current capabilities and respond more quickly to the requests from the people. The initiative can be scaled up by implementing a referral assistance mechanism in other regions.
For more information on our Foundation’s programs and projects, please visit our website: https://bit.ly/3lQ5cdL.