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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Ukraine
A HIAS mental health staffer embraces a group of elderly refugees at a shelter in Lviv, Ukraine on February 13, 2023. (Paula Bronstein for HIAS)
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.
130,000
people received services in 2023
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 More
Impact Stories
Women in Ukraine Support Each Other
In Ukraine, there were only 33 shelters available for women experiencing GBV before the onset of the war. Now, the majority of these shelters are being used to house internally displaced people.
This is why HIAS Ukraine and HIAS Moldova are bolstering the capacity and resources of local women-led organizations, to provide GBV survivors with the support they need.
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Power of Women founder Olga coordinates the distribution of cooking kits for 210 families to ensure that children in conflict-affected areas of Ukraine can access food in spite of electricity outages, Volnova Raion, Donetsk Obast, November 5 2024. (Power of Women)
Statements
Resources and Publications
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18 Months Later: A Mental Health and Psychosocial Needs Assessment Across Ukraine
HIAS and Girls collaborated on a nation-wide mental health and psychosocial needs assessment undertaken between July and August 2023. The report reassesses the impact of this conflict on the population’s mental well-being and psychosocial needs today to help address new gaps in services and provide support that is context-relevant and informed by the targeted population.
Read the report -
Ukraine has, for many years, been both a transit and destination country for people fleeing persecution and violence in other parts of the world. In 2021, approximately 5,000 asylum seekers and refugees were seeking refuge in Ukraine or were in transit to the EU. While heterogeneous, they share common vulnerabilities.
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In May of 2022, HIAS released the report "Waiting for the Sky to Close: The Unprecedented Crisis Facing Women and Girls Fleeing Ukraine" with VOICE, a feminist organization dedicated to eradicating gender-based violence (GBV) and holding the humanitarian aid sector accountable to women and girls. As a follow-up, HIAS and VOICE have now released this Sexual and Reproductive Health and GBV Assessment Report.
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Children and Families MHPSS Resource Collection
The Children and Families MHPSS Resource Collection offers access to a wide range of key materials that are relevant to mental health and psychosocial support work with children and families across humanitarian and development settings. HIAS has partnered with the MHPSS Collaborative and MHPSS.net to provide resources to MHPSS practitioners responding to the crisis in Ukraine.
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Thousands of non-Ukrainian refugees and asylum seekers who fled Ukraine following Russia’s invasion continue to face significant barriers to protection and integration across the European Union, according to new research from HIAS and its Ukrainian partner Right to Protection (R2P).
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The international community has provided an unprecedented level of support to people fleeing Ukraine, but despite this response, vulnerable populations are at risk. This HIAS policy brief examines the serious protection risks that certain groups are experiencing and recommendations to address these gaps.
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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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