The Together We Shelter Program is implemented by East Europe Foundation with the support of the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund and increases the capacity of Ukrainian civil society to provide vital services to people affected by the war.

In March 2022, in response to the challenges caused by the full-scale Russian military aggression against Ukraine, East Europe Foundation initiated the multi-donor program Shelter. Relying on our partner organization networks over a one-year period, we provided more than 275 tons of humanitarian aid in 20 regions of Ukraine, contributed to the operations of 50 shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and reached a total of 65 000 people with our aid.

The Together We Shelter Program is a logical continuation of activities launched by East Europe Foundation in March 2022. Based on monitoring the population’s needs, the Foundation will work in de-occupied areas with the largest number of IDP centers.

Target audiences of the Together We Shelter program are all people affected by hostilities, including people with disabilities, the elderly, low-income citizens, single mothers and fathers and large families.

Together We Shelter provides for:

• Twenty-five grants to local organizations. Grant competition consists of two tranches: 15 grants in the amount of up to $25,000 to meet the non-food needs of affected populations and 10 grants in the amount of up to $30,000 to repair and equip shelters for IDPs. During the selection process, East Europe Foundation will prioritize organizations focused on needs of women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.
• Activities to build the institutional capacity of public organizations. Foundation partners will improve their efficiency in financial discipline and audit, project management, monitoring and evaluation and fundraising. East Europe Foundation will provide mentoring and coordination support to public organizations during the selection process and the grant implementation period.
• Development of an online course on the Zrozumilo! Online Educational Platform. The course will cover basic principles and standards of humanitarian assistance, such as accountability to affected populations and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. The course will be free for everyone who wishes to take it, subject to registration on the Zrozumilo! Online Educational Platform.

 The Program commenced in December of 2002 and runs through December 2023.

Photo: Olena Tytarenko