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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Country Director
Erika Alfageme
Office Locations
Chernivtsi, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava, Vinnytsia
Founded
2022
Staff Size
52
Connect
Crisis Alert
Since Russia invaded in February 2022, one-third of Ukrainians have been forcibly displaced from their homes, making it the largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II.
Crisis Alert
Since Russia invaded in February 2022, one-third of Ukrainians have been forcibly displaced from their homes, making it the largest displacement crisis in Europe since World War II.
Of the nearly 12.8 million displaced by the war, the majority still reside within Ukraine. Many Ukrainians have been displaced multiple times since 2014, following the annexation of Crimea and the conflict in the Donbas region.
As martial law restricts men from leaving the country, more than 90 percent of the 5 million Ukrainians who have fled to Europe are women and children, creating unique protection concerns. Family separation and overcrowding in collective shelters has also dramatically increased the risk of gender-based violence (GBV).
In 2001, HIAS set up an office in Kyiv to assist asylum seekers and Ukrainian Jews seeking to migrate to the United States. In 2013, HIAS helped found Right to Protection (R2P), an independent Ukrainian NGO providing humanitarian aid to internally displaced people in Ukraine.
Our Work
HIAS promotes prevention of gender-based violence, conducts direct case management, supports women and girls' safe spaces, and distributes dignity kits. Through a consortium, HIAS provides mental health support services to vulnerable populations impacted by the conflict and strengthens the capacity of local service providers. Through R2P, HIAS Ukraine distributes cash, food, and hygiene kits, as well as provide free legal aid and mental health counseling in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Rivne, and Poltava. Through Insight, HIAS supports safe spaces for LGBTQ people and women with children in Lviv and Chernivtsi, where shelters offer mental health consultations, legal aid, and food assistance.
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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We provide legal services and support, including free legal representation for asylum seekers so that everyone around the world, including displaced people, can have equal access to their legal rights.
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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.
Learn MoreResources
Jul 27, 2022
At Risk and in Need
Jul 27, 2022
Sep 13, 2022
Waiting for the Sky to Close
Sep 13, 2022
Impact Stories
Right to Protection's Quick Pivot to a War Footing
Right to Protection (R2P) had to quickly formulate both short- and medium-term responses to deliver practical aid to hundreds of thousands of people when war broke out.
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Anatoly from Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast and his granddaughter are among the over 250 Internally Displaced People are living at the Vinnytsia No. 1 Center for Professional-Technical Education, a technical college on May 2022 in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. (Alan Chin for HIAS)
In Poland, Airbnbs Offer Refuge for Weary Ukrainians
Searching for housing, Oksana Bezkorovaina and her sister contacted the Ukrainian House, an information hub for Ukrainian immigrants in Warsaw run by Our Choice Foundation. There they found that, with HIAS’ support, they had the option to stay in an Airbnb. They were relieved to know they’d have a place of their own as they worked out a plan for the weeks ahead.
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Oksana Bezkorovaina and her daughter Masha spend time in the apartment of a friend where they stayed before shifting to an Airbnb with help from Our Choice and HIAS on June 4, 2022 in Warsaw, Poland. (Betsy Joles for HIAS)
Partners
R2P staff offer information and legal consultations to refugees from Ukraine at the Shegini-Meolica border crossing on the Ukraine-Poland border, March 31, 2022. (AG for HIAS)
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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