From October 2022 till December 2024, YMCA supported by Accenture Foundation, provided skilling and employment opportunities, mental health support and integration assistance to Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from four European countries: Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia.
“Refugee Skilling and Support” was more than a title for this project, it embedded a vision focused on sustainable social intervention and long-term thinking.
What began as an emergency response in October 2022, in the context of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, organically evolved towards an integration approach in June 2023 and eventually transitioned to a capacity-building intervention in June 2024, to secure the sustainability of the actions carried out.
Over the course of 26 months, a series of impressive results have been achieved:
- 12 eDu Hubs physically opened in Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Romania and Slovakia with the purpose of hosting activities related to employment and education, digital skills, mental health assistance and community integration. The Hubs literally ran as safe spaces for those in need, some in Ukraine also including rooms to host activities even in times of air alarms.
A success story for the eDu Hubs comes from Olena, a 38-year-old IDP from Melytopol (Ukraine), who left the occupied city and went to Boyarka with her family. On the advice of a relative, she signed up for YMCA courses, which she attended with her children (fortunately, the hub had a playroom, and the children enjoyed spending time there while their mom studied). Olena attended English classes, underwent psychological trainings on self-development with the psychologist, and was also an active participant in the massage training course. In September 2024, she found a job as a nurse at a kindergarten with the support of YMCA.
- 4 Mobile Hubs were deployed in all of the countries involved in the implementation of the project, which helped secure an accessible participation to the activities and reaching out to communities that were otherwise disconnected from support.
A success story from the Mobile Hubs belongs to YMCA Zaporizhia, which through their flagship programme “I Can Do It” became the main employment program for the IDPs in the region.
- 52,667 people of all ages were reached through the project, through personalised activities, which is similar to the population of a small city.
- Out of the people reached, 30,465 saw their lives being improved through skilling, improved mindsets, increased career resilience and the work experience obtained. During the integration and the capacity-building phases of the project, the network of stakeholders grew, and more employment and skilling opportunities became available for the beneficiaries.
A success story in terms of partnerships belongs to YMCA Moldova, who managed to involve not only public institutions in supporting the project and its outcomes, but also private companies that either employed Ukrainian refugees or offered discounts for the materials purchased.
- This led to thousands of lives being transformed, especially in terms of increasing career resilience, connecting with employment opportunities, re-entering formal education or developing their entrepreneurial skills.
A transformed life story comes from Iryna, 27, geography teacher and youth worker at YMCA Zdolbuniv (Ukraine). She saw an advertisement on Facebook: the YMCA was looking for a youth worker, so she decided to take a chance and give it a try! Why not? After all, she was a teacher and had experience working with children. As it turned out, this risk changed her life. Sometimes the hardest thing is to believe in yourself and take the first step. She has been working at the YMCA for a couple of months already. Together with her colleagues, they create a safe and friendly environment where young people can learn, develop and socialise every day.
- From the 14.000 activities that were carried out by the organisers, one of the most sought after were those related to mental health support. This was also one of the key insights of the project that people are looking to receive mental help support first, and then they can become participants to activities related to skilling, employment and entrepreneurship.
An example of impactful mental health support belongs to Lesia, a 42-year-old woman, who coming from Ukraine to Romania, found herself in a foreign country, far from home, without friends or acquaintances. Through YMCA, Lesia had the opportunity to attend free psychology counselling led by Raisa, a skilled and compassionate therapist. These sessions were transformative, and problems that once felt overwhelming seemed afterwards small and manageable. “Living has become easier and simpler”, she says, expressing gratitude to Raisa and YMCA for the positive impact on her life.
- During the capacity-building phase all the YMCAs managed to secure funding or partnerships that allows them to continue with the work started within this project. That in itself is a proof or running an impactful intervention, clearly aligned to the needs of the beneficiaries, but in direct connection with a long-term thinking.
One of the major outcomes of the project is related to the models of intervention that were developed in times of crisis, applied in high-risk areas and updated to remain relevant in uncertain times.
On this note, YMCA Europe is honored to announce the start of the project “eDU Hubs and Mobile Centres”, co-funded by the European Social Fund+ Social Innovation+ Initiative and the Accenture Foundation, which builds on the legacy of the Refugee Skilling and Support project.
