Armenia: EIB Group donates €200,000 to UNICEF for psycho-social support for refugees

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group has donated €200,000 to address the mental health and winter-related needs of the Karabakh Armenian children. It will support up to 26,000 children who have fled to Armenia following the military escalation in September 2023. 

The donation is made via the EIB’s philanthropic arm, the EIB Institute, and delivered through UNICEF. 

Thanks to the EIB Group donation, UNICEF will establish and operate a mental health helpline staffed by 20 trained counsellors for two years. The children and their caregivers will also receive face-to-face psychological support through play therapy, art therapy, and group sessions. The donation will also support refugee families through vouchers that will help them to cover their essential needs as the winter season begins.

In late September, more than 100,000 people took refuge in Armenia with children making up more than one-third of the displaced population, the EIB said.

“Children have suffered most from the conflict and displacement,” said Shiva Dustdar, director and dean of the EIB Institute. “It is a top priority for the EIB Institute to help them access the support and care they need to settle down and look forward to a brighter future.”

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