Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has forced millions of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, the EU has shown unwavering solidarity with Ukraine, providing a comprehensive response to the humanitarian crisis.
Three years into the war, the EU is further promoting the integration of the most vulnerable Ukrainian nationals living in the Union – namely the elderly, women, and especially the more than 800,000 children enrolled in national schooling systems in the EU.
Evacuating institutionalized children from Ukraine
Among these children, 7,000 have been evacuated from care facilities in Ukraine. Since 2022, the Polish city of Łódź has opened its arms to these children, who were evacuated from Ukrainian institutions and brought to safety by the Polish and Ukrainian authorities with the support of the European Commission.
Through its European Social Fund+, the Commission has provided EUR 5 million in EU funding to support accommodation in family-like and community-based settings, through the programme “Improving alternative care for children from institutions evacuated from Ukraine to Poland”.
Paving the way to independence
Another nationwide EU-funded programme, dedicated to Ukrainian citizens in Poland, is helping the most vulnerable beneficiaries of temporary protection – notably women who escaped war and arrived in Poland with their young children – become independent from public aid.
With approximately EUR 20 million in EU funding, under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, the project “Jointly to Independence” aims to support Ukrainians living in collective accommodation centres become self-sufficient. Implemented by the Ministry of Interior and Administration in partnership with the Polish Red Cross and the Polish Centre for International Aid, the programme co-finances the cost of renting an apartment for a period of six months, paving the way to independent living. It also includes Polish language classes and professional assistance to support integration into the labour market.
Background
Following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive for the first time in its history. Aside from granting protection to those fleeing the war, the EU’s immediate response also involved direct humanitarian aid, emergency civil protection assistance, support at the border, as well as funding of numerous projects implemented on the ground.
Moreover, since the beginning of the war, the Commission has been coordinating a Solidarity Platform, bringing together EU countries, international partners, and EU agencies to ensure the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive, gather important information in the EU Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint, and properly steer migration management response.
Find out more
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