Aster TakenIn the face of continued war in Ukraine, over 2.5 million people have left the country and many Ukrainians worldwide are being directly or indirectly affected by the invasion. Today, Ukraine has been at war for 22 days. In dark times like this, it is important to help those who need it. For those who are looking to get help outside of Ukraine, it can be difficult to find the correct information, especially when you are in a country that’s new to you. That’s why we give you resources to support refugees from Ukraine in this blog.
As SPEAK we want to ensure that those fleeing this war can get support in the country that they are currently in. Therefore, we offer support by connecting refugees, organizations, individuals and volunteers through our platform – SPEAK for Ukraine.
If you are a refugee from Ukraine and you just arrived in a new country, you can visit our platform to get help in the form of emotional support groups and language groups.
To give an overview of where else you can find help, we compiled the resources to support refugees from Ukraine offered by the governments and NGOs of different countries. Whether you are living in Ukraine, arriving in a new country or already settling in a new country, here are some resources that you can turn to.
Portugal
Portugal’s government launched a platform that combines all the Portuguese state actions regarding the war in Ukraine. On this platform you can find information on:
- Transport needs
- The protection of Ukrainian citizens who fled the conflict
- Employment and training for displaced Ukrainian citizens
- The locations of service desks that are created exclusively for Ukrainian citizens in order to process international protection requests
Refugees from Ukraine can find over 5000 European shelter options on the website of the non-profit project ‘Housing for Refugees’.
Finally, Grupo Ageas Portugal offers a Clinical Support Hotline to the Ukrainian refugee community in Portugal. This free line is for Ukrainians that need to talk with a Ukrainian-speaking doctor.
Advantages of the phone line:
- No costs;
- No limit of calls per person;
- In Ukrainian, English, and Russian;
- Offer of general and family medicine consultations;
- Available on weekdays from 9 am. to 7 pm.
How it works: send an SMS with the person’s name and mobile phone number to +351 96 291 81 55, and the doctor will contact you within 2 hours.
Poland
Poland’s government launched a platform where refugees from Ukraine can request help. You can fill in a form and get the help you need. This platform also offers information on the logistics of the transport of children and places for children to stay.
On the website of the Polish government, you can find more important information for Ukrainian citizens in Poland on border crossing and your stay in Poland. And you can also find a FAQ and information about the evacuation from Ukraine in the form of a list of hotlines for citizens of other countries.
The UN Refugee Agency created a website for refugees and asylum-seekers in Poland, their family members, and the people who assist them. You can find information on:
- How to find help
- Accessing International Protection
- Services for Recognised Refugees
- Family Reunification
- Reporting fraud and misconduct
- Reporting sexual exploitation and abuse
- COVID-19 information
Belgium
Belgium’s government launched a platform where, as a refugee from Ukraine, you can find assistance for:
- A place to stay
- Your stay in Belgium
- Your arrival in Belgium
- Protection against the coronavirus
- Your rights as a Ukrainian citizen
- If you are looking for your family
- If you just fled Ukraine and you are on the run
Germany
Germany will be launching ‘Germany4Ukraine’ this week. On this platform, refugees will be able to obtain information about the help offered, which is written in German, English, Ukrainian and Russian. Until the launch of the platform, you can find the most important information from the German government for people who have fled Ukraine here.
Lithuania
#strongtogether is an initiative that offers temporary homes, rides from the border and other help to refugees from Ukraine in Lithuania. You can sign up and get the help you need.
On the website of the civic initiative ‘HelpUA’ you can find all the relevant information for refugees from Ukraine in Lithuania on:
- Hotlines
- Emotional support
- Medical services
- Registration centers
- Education, school
- Employment services
- Safety guide for women
- Exchange of hryvnia
France
On the website of the French government, you can find more important information for Ukrainian citizens in France on:
- Eligibility for temporary protection
- Rights derived from the temporary protection in France
- How to apply for temporary protection
Italy
On the website of the Italian government, you can find more important information for Ukrainian citizens in Italy on:
- Who to contact to take advantage of accommodation
- Your stay in Italy
- Other useful information
Austria
Warhelp is a mediation organization of volunteers with the aim to help refugees from Ukraine. This NGO is dedicated to connecting refugees arriving in Austria to needed resources, whether this is housing, legal help, transport, translation services, or more. The main goal of Warhelp is to match refugees in need of accommodation and volunteers who are willing to host/offer shelter. At the moment they are looking for volunteers who are willing to host.
General support
In case you need any general support you can turn to the platform WeHelpUkraine, this is one of the resources to support refugees from Ukraine, where refugees from Ukraine can find support worldwide on:
- Housing
- Transportation
- Documentation
- Medical aid
- Psychological support
If you are fleeing the war in Ukraine and coming to the European Union, you can find key information about:
- Preparing to leave
- Your rights in the EU
- Onward travel in the EU
- Additional information from national authorities
- Information on free travel options offered by European transport companies
EU4UA and ICANHELP.HOST are both platforms that match refugees from Ukraine with European hosts, in order to find shelter for those in need.
Want to help?
However, if you are not a refugee but want to help, there are multiple ways in which you can make a difference. For example, you can let your voice be heard by demonstrating, you can offer a room or you can donate money to UNICEF Ukraine, Red Cross Ukraine or UNHCR. It is very important that you always share the right information. Therefore, you can fact check your information with fact check tools.
If you want to help refugees feel more integrated into the country that they are currently in, you can be a buddy at SPEAK for Ukraine, to share your language and culture with them or to become a translator for an organization that needs support. Sign up on our platform SPEAK For Ukraine so we can connect you to an organization or a language group.
Our hearts and thoughts are with Ukraine and all the brave Russians standing up against war at high personal risk.
If you know about other resources to support refugees from Ukraine in your country that are not listed here, please send us an email and we’ll add them to this list.
CLIC school in Marinha Grande, Portugal are accepting items of clothing (suitable for the weather)for women and children and food etc. It needs be be labelled and in clear plastic bags.
Thank you Valerie, for sharing this with us! It’s highly appreciated!
I am a refugee and living in the UK now. I would like to do any contribution which I can do to those fleeing Ukraine.
Best wishes
Bunyamin Kaptanoglu
Thank you Bunyamin. We wish you all the best and thank you for doing whatever you can for those who are fleeing Ukraine! You can share your language and culture with refugees from Ukraine that are hosted in your country, by signing up on our platform SPEAK For Ukraine to be a buddy. By doing this you can also be part of an informal support network for refugees, helping them navigate the paperwork in your country, find a house or get a job, simply by sharing relevant information. In case you speak either Ukrainian or Russian, you can also help by becoming a translator or interpreter.
How can I support It?
First, thank you for your willingness to help! You can help in different ways. One of them is to share your language and culture with refugees from Ukraine that are hosted in your country. You can do so by signing up on our platform SPEAK For Ukraine to be a buddy. By doing this you can also be part of an informal support network for refugees, helping them navigate the paperwork in your country, find a house or get a job, simply by sharing relevant information. You can find the link to sign up in the blog above.
You can also help by becoming a translator or interpreter, in case you speak either Ukrainian or Russian.
Hi My name is Fernanda Lena and I am an English teacher and Portuguese Teacher.
I am also an early childhood teacher and have worked with family and children for 25 years in Australia.
I am also fluent in Spanish. So I could help Ukrainians that are living in any Portuguese, Spanish or English speaking country.
Although my residence is normally in Sydney Australia , I am Brazilian and I am currently living in Brazil for the next 6 months.
I am willing to teach any refugee and I am considering that being in Brazil the time difference is minute compared with Europe and Australia.
I applaud your initiative and would love to help if I am allowed to.
I have taught refugees on a voluntary basis in Australia for 3 years.
Please do not hesitate to contact me via email or whats app +55 51 9 81 18 26 99
Thank you
Fernanda Lena
Thank you Fernanda for your message. We are very happy to have you on board! You can sign up on the platform – speakforukraine.org – and be a buddy for refugees from Ukraine. Since the language groups can happen every time between morning and afternoon and can also be online, the time difference isn’t a problem.
Again, thank you for your willingness to support refugees from Ukraine and be part of SPEAK!