We work to protect the right of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ communities to access their full potential and live free from violence by supporting survivors, mitigating risks, and transforming beliefs that perpetuate GBV.
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Romania
A beneficiary of HIAS Romania engages with a child during a children's session at the Inimă de Copil center on July 19, 2023. (Bill Swersey/HIAS)
Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, over 1 million Ukrainians have crossed the border into Romania. Most of them continued their journeys to other European countries, but around 100,000 Ukrainian refugees are currently in Romania. HIAS is supporting local partners and working to help refugees in multiple ways, including: direct assistance, counseling, promoting economic opportunities, and protecting the rights of refugees, particularly women, girls, and LGBTQ community members, so they can live free from violence.
10,800
people received services in 2023
Our Work
HIAS began operations in September 2022 to help refugees displaced by the Ukrainian crisis and support refugees in Romania more generally. We are highlighting assistance in the areas of economic inclusion, gender-based violence, and mental health, as well as protection and food assistance. HIAS Romania is working closely with partners and working directly in underserved areas serving the biggest concentrations of refugees in the country, focusing primarily on community strengthening, integration, and self-reliance.
HIAS’ community-based mental health programs promote the well-being of individuals, families, and communities affected by crisis and conflict so they can heal and rebuild their lives.
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Our economic inclusion programs ensure that refugees have economic opportunities to earn sustainable income and start their lives anew.
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We work to protect the right of women, girls, and LGBTQ+ communities to access their full potential and live free from violence by supporting survivors, mitigating risks, and transforming beliefs that perpetuate GBV.
Learn More
Impact Story
Returning to Serve Romania’s Ukrainian Refugees
“When we think of refugees, we think of it as a temporary thing,” says Yiftach Millo, director of HIAS Romania. “But it can also mean displacement for a second or third generation.”
For Millo, this point is more than just academic. Born in Israel, he is the son of Romanians who left during the mass deportation of the country’s Jewish population in 1941 and grew up listening to stories about the Danube and the Black Sea. Now, after a career working with refugees around the world, he has returned to a place that has loomed so large in his family’s history.
Resources and Publications
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Labor Market Assessment of Ukrainian Refugees in Romania
A new labor market assessment to identify unexplored, new, or adapted economic inclusion pathways for Ukrainian refugees in Bucharest, Constanta, Galati, and Braila.
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VOICE-HIAS Romania GBV Assessment Report
Romania hosts over 138,000 refugees, with approximately 80% Ukrainian women and children, who face heightened risks of gender-based violence (GBV), economic exploitation, and social isolation. Read this assessment from VOICE and HIAS to learn more.
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As part of a partnership with HIAS, VOICE conducted a four-week rapid assessment of Ukraine and five bordering countries to assess the needs of women and girls affected by the war and the needs of WROs and groups responding to the emergency.
6 Country Regional Assessment
Partners
HIAS’ services are free. If someone tries to charge you for services claiming they represent HIAS, please report it at our confidential email address: ethics@hias.org. HIAS has a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and corruption.
For any other inquiries please email us at info@hias.org.
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