VIDEO: HIAS Staff on the Ground in Lviv, Ukraine
By Ayelet Parness, HIAS.org
Mar 16, 2022
Last week, HIAS staff members visited Lviv, Ukraine to continue coordinating HIAS’ response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the region. Lauren Pucci, senior director for emergency and humanitarian programs, reported on the organization’s progress from in front of Lviv Train Station, through which thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have traveled as they flee the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Pucci reported that over 200,000 IDPs had arrived in Lviv in the previous week, with many continuing to Poland, where they will be accepted as refugees. In addition to partnering with local NGO Right to Protection (R2P), HIAS has been working with Jewish communities in Poland, Slovakia, and Moldova to support refugees from Ukraine.
“We are meeting with our local partner, R2P, and we're also looking at what the current situation is on the ground with the number of internally displaced persons that are coming through the country,” said Pucci. “We will be here for the next few days, continuing to assess needs, looking at how we can be putting out aid to the people of Ukraine.”
Read more about HIAS' work in Ukraine here.
