Solidarity with Ukraine – read about early relief efforts supported on the ground
The appeal for funds launched by Fondation de France on February 28 has raised 15 million euros to help the people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. This amazing outpouring of generosity contributes to supporting immediate action on the ground for those who need it.
Since February 24, more than 13 million people – mainly women and children – have had to leave their country or distance themselves from their home to escape the Russian offensive. To help them, Fondation de France supports local nonprofits whose mission is to welcome refugees and displaced persons, both in neighboring countries and also in Ukraine.
In accordance with Fondation de France’s operating procedures in case of emergency, a committee of volunteer experts has been set up and priorities have been established. The first priority is to respond to immediate basic needs and to offer psychological support for the people affected by the conflict. The second consists in providing more sustainable help in terms of housing, education, legal assistance, psychological support and also access to information.
Three on-site missions have already been carried out by Fondation de France teams, in Poland Romania and Moldova, to assess needs and meet charitable organizations on the front line.
The initial on-site missions have been approved by the expert committee and they have already received funding from Fondation de France.
In border areas:
Right next to the Ukrainian borders of Poland, Moldova and Romania, Bibliothèque sans Frontières is installing 10 Ideas Boxes. These mobile media libraries offer content and resources (in local languages) for people in exile. They include communication services (server, storage, wifi relay), technological tools (e-readers, HD camera, computers, GPS, tablets, television), visual content (documentaries, films, learning resources) and a large selection of books.
- The Carpathian Foundation - Hungary works with refugee children to provide them with basic necessities. Support also includes the purchase of a van so that goods, especially drugs, can be distributed at the Ukrainian border.
- The Carpathian Foundation - Slovakia provides overall assistance to civil society organizations involved in welcoming Ukrainian refugees to Slovakia.
In Ukraine:
- The Triangle Génération Humanitaire organization works with local nonprofits. The objective is to meet the needs of displaced people: access to water, food distribution, psychological and social support, money transfers, electronic food coupons (for purchases in local grocery stores).
- The humanitarian aid association Solidarités International provides basic necessities (water and food) to people in transit in Lviv and Uman. A total of 18,000 meals a month are distributed at each of the two sites.
The Zagoriy Foundation has been working alongside organizations that provide assistance (food, housing, psychological support) to people affected by the war in Ukraine since 2015. Its objective: to coordinate the action of 10 local associations to enable them to share information on needs and build a common strategy. Priority is given to associations that accompany the most vulnerable people (Pupils of the State, the elderly, the sick, orphans and children, disabled people).
- The Carpathian Foundation-Ukraine supports local organizations that provide social and psychological help to displaced persons and make the process of integration in their new communities easier (children are enrolled in their new schools, and adults supported in finding employment).
- Gen Global Ecovillage Network: eco villages installed in 70 Ukrainian sites welcome displaced persons, mainly women and children, and provide them emergency relief (food, water, sanitation) as well as the means to be self-sufficient in the medium term (alternative energy sources and small-scale farming equipment to ensure food security).
- The Solidarité Ukraine collective offers coordination among French humanitarian nonprofits, in order to provide overall support to Ukrainian and Russian civil society organizations regarding compliance with refugees’ rights and training for nonprofits’ staff.
- Magnolia is an organization active in child protection which seeks to list, find and protect Ukrainian children who have disappeared. To that end, it operates a European call-center and raises awareness of this issue. Magnolia also provides psychological and legal assistance to the children’s relatives and works with the Juvenile Police and NGOs.
In Romania:
The Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) Foundation welcomes orphans from Ukraine. This support will provide for the basic needs, housing and transport of children from Ukrainian orphanages. The HHC foundation will also offer psychological support to refugees for children and families suffering from mental distress.
- The Federation of Non-Governmental Social Service Organizations (FONSS) works to provide social support to refugees in Ukraine (access to housing, health care, asylum applications, schooling for children, etc.). It strengthens the action of its 44 partner associations in their field work, particularly in transit centers, and provides basic necessities for refugees.
In Poland:
- The French NGO Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) offers comprehensive support to people made vulnerable by exile, who have arrived in Poland: psychological support, access to basic services, including protection and information.
- The Domus Orientalis association, which acts in favor of migrants and victims of war, provides daily return trips to Ukraine to deliver medical aid, food and allow people fleeing conflicts to leave. It has three minibuses and four vehicles that can evacuate nearly 400 people per week. Six relay points have been set up in Ukraine to organize transit. The aid from Fondation de France will cover the cost of fuel and fleet maintenance, as well as the recruitment of two coordinators (logistics and administration).
-The Saint Nicolas Fondation provides assistance to local Polish nonprofits that offer refugee children workshops and outings, psychological support, Polish language lessons, school supplies and so on.
In Moldova:
- Solidarités International is present in the reception and transit centers for refugees from Ukraine. It provides water distribution, access to sanitary facilities and other hygiene services (cleaning, laundry).
- The Charity Center For Refugees, committed to helping refugees in Moldavia, sets up actions to welcome women, children and elderly people fleeing Ukraine. It distributes necessities to refugees, provides support to various asylum centers (equipment supplies, legal advice, job search) as well as to associations, so that the latter can take better care of displaced persons.
- Keystone Moldova provides food aid and offers holiday camps for refugee children in the Tudora area (at the border with Ukraine), disabled people being a particular focus of attention.
In addition to these actions, Fondation de France is involved with several European philanthropy networks to provide joint and coordinated responses in the field. For example, the European Program on Migration (EPIM) has just activated a special fund to support associations working with refugees and displaced persons.
The actions supported by EPIM will cover medium and long term needs: such as access to stable accommodation, education, employment, social protection and health, psychological support, legal support, but also targeted aid for the most vulnerable people (including victims of human trafficking and unaccompanied minors) or aid to continue their journey.
Donate by cheque:
Fondation de France – Solidarité Ukraine
60 509 CHANTILLY CEDEX
