DOPOMOHA

Since the beginning of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, on 24th of February 2022, millions of people fleeing Ukraine have arrived in Romania in search of a safe place so that they could decide what to do next. They had to leave behind everything they had, including their dreams, in order to stay alive.

The Humanitarian National Coordination Group

Stikado has been actively involved in Romania's humanitarian response from the Ukraine crisis's first days. Together with representatives of governmental institutions, international organizations, and national NGOs, we have contributed:

to the creation of the national coordination group for emergency humanitarian response, led by the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations (DSU);
to find the best ways to communicate, share experiences, and identify solutions to the problems encountered by those involved in the humanitarian interventions (WhatsApp group and then Teams channels);
to the creation of www.dopomoha.ro, the official website in Romania dedicated both to those fleeing the war in Ukraine and to those who want to get involved in this humanitarian crisis.

The Romanian National Task Force for Psychological Support for Volunteers

Our team has also taken an active role in the creation of the Romanian national task force for psychological support for the professionals and volunteers involved in the work with refugees. Together with colleagues from the task force, we have identified some of the most urgent psychological needs encountered by the volunteers around the country, and based on those findings, we have created some useful tools to help them, for ex:

informative leaflets containing tips on how to deal with vulnerable persons, how to avoid burn-outs, and how to respond in the most effective way to the needs of refugees ;
webinars for volunteers on psychological support offered by Romanian and foreign specialists in psychology and in humanitarian emergency responses.

Partnership with “Zi de Bine” Association

Stikado has also made a partnership with the “Zi de Bine” Association. In the context of this partnership, our team:

has done assessment missions to different border crossings and in cities that have been on the front line of receiving refugees;
has identified, on the ground, local organizations and initiatives that responded to the needs of populations affected by the war;
has supported organizations in understanding the information requested by national and international donors before submitting their applications for funding;
has analyzed applications for funding from associations around the country and has supported them in preparing the final documentation before submission;
has prepared and shared information with donors regarding the situation at the borders and in the cities where refugees were hosted;
has facilitated networking and coordination actions between local actors involved in the humanitarian response;
has offered information sessions on how to deal with vulnerable people to organizations involved in the humanitarian response that did not have any prior experience in working with refugees.

Partnership with international donors

Immediately after the start of the war in Ukraine, we saw an exemplary mobilization around the world to show solidarity to those affected by this conflict. In this context, many international donors have expressed their interest in showing their solidarity by supporting NGOs & projects, either through direct financial assistance or through relevant training and other non-financial resources.

In this context, our team has been actively involved in facilitating the connection between international donors and Romanian recipients through:

assessment missions;
identification of relevant initiatives;
supporting the organizations in preparing the grant agreements;
creating the right context for networking.

Thoughts

After our involvement in the humanitarian response in Romania, we have learned that:

There is always a need for better coordination between the Romanian civil society actors in order to grow the impact of their actions, diminish the number of overlapping activities, share know-how, and increase the capacity of funds absorption.
For an efficient humanitarian response, there is an acute need for better communication and better coordination between civil society and the state institutions, but also among the state institutions themselves.
The civil society needs constant support to build the capacity to act in the long term without burning out the human and financial resources.

We encourage all actors involved in the humanitarian intervention in Romania to tailor their actions based on the above findings, and we commit to always assisting any entity that requires our support.