PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Emergency assistance and support to refugees

• A medical chatbot ‘medbot Marta’ is a fast and convenient channel of communication between patients and doctors available on Telegram and Viber in Ukraine. Medbot Marta is in high demand during the war due to the lack of physical access to medical care. The EU supports the work of the East Europe Foundation, which is helping the application’s team to work with doctors from Mariupol to make medical advice more accessible online.

• European Neighbourhood Instrument Cross-Border Cooperation projects working with Ukraine, especially those in Poland, have mobilised to assist refugees, setting up shelters, providing aid and medical assistance. Read more 

• The SOS Rescue – the training centre for organising and operating cross-border rescue actions project, previously worked to increase the effectiveness of trans-border mountain rescue actions, setting up coordination and training centres on both sides of the border, and equipping partners with advanced rescue devices. While the project’s training centre in Poland has now been turned into an Emergency Centre for Ukraine, trainings planned under the project are continuing, last week beginning a specialised training to provide medical first aid.

• The EU4GenderEquality programme is responding to the emerging needs of women and men in Ukraine by providing support through civil society organisations in Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. Its cooperation partner UNFPA Ukraine is providing psychological counselling, crisis communication support and essentials to Ukrainian women from vulnerable groups.

• The EU-funded integrated border management programme has provided more than 100,000 ready to eat meals to Ukrainian defenders at the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

• The EU together with WHO have delivered 20 tonnes of medical kits and surgical equipment to Ukraine to alleviate the great needs of the population suffering from Russia’s invasion.

• Together with UNDP Ukraine, the EU delivers food supplies to the hard-to-reach communities in Pryvillia, Kreminna and Nyzhnia Duvanka in the Luhansk oblast of Ukraine.

• The EU is supporting the central government portal of Ukraine and the state hotline that provides information about assistance needs in Ukraine. Everyone wishing to provide humanitarian or financial assistance to Ukrainians can find relevant information on the platform or by calling to the hotline.

• Besides much-needed humanitarian assistance, the International Migration Organisation (IOM) in Ukraine provides displaced people with timely and up-to-date information with financial assistance from the EU. At border crossing points, the IOM team distributes leaflets on temporary protection in EU countries to refugees.

• The East Europe Foundation has launched its Shelter Project for emergency assistance to all those who are leaving their homes and seeking shelter in safer areas of Ukraine. The project is aimed at supporting internally displaced persons and raising funds for their needs.

• The Mayors for Economic Growth programme is working with local authorities in Ukraine helping them develop a better emergency response that includes effective crisis management and timely provision of public services. Together with UNDP, the programme will strengthen the capacity of civil society to absorb and distribute humanitarian assistance.

Support to businesses

• Ukraine is one of the countries within the Collaborate for Impact project led by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA). Their partner SILab Ukraine is working hard to help Ukrainian companies overcome difficulties in times of war. They have recently launched a call for proposals for social enterprises through the Ukrainian Social Venture Fund.

• The EU-funded ‘EU4Business: SME Competitiveness and Internationalisation’ programme has continued to support Ukrainian SMEs during the war, with cooperation temporarily concentrated in the western regions of Ukraine. Activities aim to preserve jobs and support the Ukrainian economy, provide jobs for IDPs and women, and help SMEs to diversify their business models, including by digitalising products and services. Read more

Support to media and civil society

• The European Endowment for Democracy has established with EU funding a centre for Ukrainian activists in Przemyśl in eastern Poland to serve as a working space for media and civic activists. The EED is also supporting Ukrainian civil society and independent media with rapid and flexible grants that are issued within 12 hours or less after the request is received.

• The European Anti-Corruption Initiative provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine during the first weeks of the war and is now continuing to support national anti-corruption institutions and protect Ukrainian journalists that provide coverage of the war. Read more

• The EU-funded EU4Culture project is offering mobility grants for artists and cultural professionals from Ukraine. The call is open for internships, study visits, conferences, professional developments, and other activities that foster knowledge exchange and intercultural dialogue. Read more

• The Romanian non-governmental organisations platform ‘FOND’ has launched the ‘SOS Ukraine! Humanity without borders’ campaign to help Ukrainian NGOs. The action aims at raising funds for the NGOs in Ukraine, which are long-standing partners of FOND and the EU-funded Black Sea NGO Forum. Read more

• Civil society in and outside Ukraine is at the forefront of mobilising aid and monitoring the situation on the ground. Many of them are members of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum and are supported by the forum. Their activities include setting up shelters, providing aid, doing fact-checking, helping cultural NGOs and hosting Ukrainian freelancers. The forum also produces the Eastern Partnership Index that in its latest publication focused on Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova and their readiness to join the EU. Read more

Other support

• The Pravo Justice II project is advising the Office of the Prosecutor General and other Ukrainian institutions on the investigation and documentation of war crimes, as well as providing advice to the Ukrainian government on developing legislation under martial law. Since the Russian invasion, the project has also supplied 1,700 tons of food to war-affected areas, as well as 20 tons of animal feed for pet shelters and zoos.

• The e-Governance Academy continues its support for Ukraine within the EU4DigitalUA project and other projects supported by the EU. Their work focuses on strengthening Ukraine’s cybersecurity, the safety of Ukrainian public registers and databases, as well as support to various Ukrainian state bodies.

• Within days of the invasion, the European Investment Bank, in cooperation with the European Commission, prepared an emergency solidarity package for Ukraine. The package included €668 million in immediate assistance for the Ukrainian authorities.

• The Polish beneficiary of the EU-funded cross-border cooperation project ‘Rzeszów and Vynohradiv – animal-friendly cities’ (CBC4animals) is looking for new owners and support for shelter dogs fleeing the war in Ukraine. Read more