Supporting Foster Families Amid Ongoing War in Ukraine
By Galyna Goreshniak Growing up as an only child, Olha Gez always dreamed of having a big family of her own one day. Now, she runs a family-type orphanage in Dnipropetrovsk oblast — providing a safe haven for some of the most vulnerable children experiencing the war in Ukraine. “My childhood dream came true when…
Read MorePass the Mic: Localizing Child Protection Interventions in Ukraine’s Humanitarian Context
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Global Communities has a rich history of implementing Child Protection in Emergencies programs. Our interventions are multifaced, ranging from psychosocial counselling and art therapy classes to life skills, literacy and parenting sessions. In countries where institutional services are weak, Global Communities delivers these services directly, including through…
Read MoreProtecting Children in Emergencies: Perspectives from Syria and Ukraine
By Emily Galloway, Tarek Fakhereddin, Nataliia Biloshytska and Tania Dudnyk Global Communities has a rich history of providing emergency aid and protection services to refugees and internally displaced people in many crisis settings, from Ukraine and Gaza to Syria and Guatemala. This includes our Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) programming, which supports the well-being of…
Read MoreAdapting and Innovating in a Volatile World: Reflections from the 2024 Fragility Forum Â
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs  Last month, the World Bank held its 2024 Fragility Forum – a biannual conference that brings together policymakers, researchers and practitioners from humanitarian, development and peacebuilding communities to exchange knowledge and ideas about how to improve our approaches in fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings. This year’s theme…
Read MoreMaking Space for Economic Growth in Ukraine’s Lanovetska Community
For years, Lanovetska Territorial Community, located in Ternopil oblast of Ukraine, was off the global economic map. Aspiring entrepreneurs were stifled by this isolation. However, with support from Global Communities and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), enterprising local residents were able to breathe new life into existing businesses and those still trying to…
Read MoreBuilding Community and Supporting Internally Displaced People with Integration Efforts in Ukraine
By Tania Dudnyk It took eight years for Yuliia to shake off the feeling of numbness and fully integrate into the Ukrainian community where she lives now. She moved to the Chernivtsi oblast from Luhansk oblast as an internally displaced person (IDP) in 2014. Having experienced this kind of uprooting on a personal level, Yuliia…
Read MoreLocalizing Humanitarian Assistance to Help Meet Needs of Marginalized Groups in Ukraine
By Tania Dudnyk “For the first time in my life working in the public sector, we as an organization not only provide assistance but receive it,” says Zhanna Derii, who is part of an association of teachers from Chernihiv Polytechnic National University that make up the civil society organization (CSO) known as Chernihiv European. Prior…
Read MoreUkraine’s Resilience Strengthened by Grassroots Psychosocial Support and Civic Partnerships
By Tania Dudnyk Chernihiv oblast has been one of the regions most severely affected by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. When it was under Russian occupation during the first five weeks of the war, residents – including children – were forced to spend long hours and days in shelters to protect themselves from heavy…
Read MorePreventing and Responding to Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Settings
By Emily Galloway, Sr. Advisor for Global Protection, Global Communities Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive issue that disproportionately affects women, girls and vulnerable individuals during emergencies. In disaster or conflict-affected areas, gender inequalities and power dynamics can both exacerbate existing risks of GBV and create new ones. While risks are always context-specific, we see…
Read MoreSupporting War-Affected People in Ukraine: Insights from Our Protection Manager
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs at Global Communities I remember feeling frightened and devastated when the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began unfolding on my television screen in February 2022. While these feelings were, and still are, not isolated, there is something incredibly jarring about watching the neighboring country being attacked by…
Read MoreTeacher Uprooted by War in Ukraine Helps Displaced Children Find Healing in Nature
By Tania Dudnyk In March 2022, Anna was heading from Kharkiv, Ukraine, to the western part of the country, fleeing the war with no idea where she and her family would find shelter. Today, she is a volunteer with the Ukrainian People’s House (UND) in Chernivtsi, one of seven civil society organizations in the region…
Read MoreHelping Families Piece Life, Homes Back Together in Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast
By Tania Dudnyk Chernihiv Oblast is among the top five regions of Ukraine most affected by Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022. Due to its proximity to the Russian border, many villages have experienced occupation firsthand and, thus, significant damage to their residential areas. To date, over 8,200 sites and facilities have been destroyed or…
Read MoreArt Therapy for Ukrainian Children Helps Reduce Stress Under Everyday Shelling
By Tania Dudnyk Since the end of June, children from three villages in the Chernihiv region have been attending special art therapy classes designed to support their mental health as the war continues in Ukraine. The sessions, which will continue until the school year begins in September, are made possible with funding from the United…
Read MoreDirect Cash Assistance Gives War-Torn Ukrainians Freedom to Cover Most Pressing Winter Needs
The winter of 2022-2023 was expected to be highly challenging for Ukrainians. Continued Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure caused disruptions of electricity and heating as well as damage to unprepared houses. The ongoing war has had a disastrous impact on the country’s economy. Millions have lost their livelihoods, and among those who have not…
Read MoreReviving Ukrainian Communities through Shelter Repairs in Hard-Hit Regions
Since the start of Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been deprived of their homes and had their livelihoods disrupted due to ongoing hostilities and massive missile attacks. Damage to residential buildings and civilian infrastructure continues to grow. As of November 2022, according to the Kyiv School of Economics,…
Read MoreResponding to Humanitarian Needs in Ukraine
Since the war began in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, an estimated 5 million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, while over 7 million people have been displaced inside the country in search of safety, protection and assistance meeting basic needs. As the scale of this humanitarian crisis continues to grow, Global Communities is working…
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