IOM Ukraine

At the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Yaryna and Vita felt they had no choice but to act. They founded a puzzle-making company and began donating a portion of their profits to restore destroyed Ukrainian landmarks. Thanks to a grant from IOM, they were able to purchase essential equipment and rebuild their business after a Russian missile strike destroyed their products in the spring of 2024. Read more about their story and contribution to Ukraine’s recovery: https://bit.ly/4ibR9GO #Ukraine3YearsOn

One day of war is too many. The people of #Ukraine have suffered three years of war already, yet they continue to show courage and resilience in the face of significant challenges. Let us make sure that their needs are met. #Ukraine3YearsOn

IOM’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Arthur Erken met with Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, to reaffirm IOM’s commitment to addressing urgent humanitarian needs and supporting recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine. “It’s crucial to focus the resources on priority areas and meet deadlines in humanitarian response this year,” said Iryna Vereshchuk. IOM also continues to assist displaced Ukrainians abroad by providing essential support in host countries. IOM Europe and Central Asia

During his visit to Ukraine, IOM’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Arthur Erken met with entrepreneurs rebuilding their lives with IOM’s support. Yulia, displaced by the war, transformed her passion for knitting 🧶 into a thriving small business with a grant from IOM. The funds helped her secure essential equipment, including a power generator and inverter system to keep operations running during power outages. Similarly, in Bucha, Oleksii and his wife Iryna—displaced twice, in 2014 and again in 2022—opened a small café 🥐 ☕ with IOM’s support, creating jobs for the local community. "When the war started, IOM was on the frontline of support for small businesses. At the startup stage, it's very hard to get a loan, and even if you do, you have a financial burden,” said Oleksii. “That’s why it was important that IOM came first with the grant to help us start." "Even the smallest businesses play a vital role in rebuilding Ukraine — not just by creating jobs, but by inspiring others,” said Arthur Erken. “Seeing people take initiative, rebuild their lives, and contribute to their country’s recovery is truly rewarding. It’s a testament to Ukrainian resilience, and I’m proud that we could support them, even in a small way." IOM Europe and Central Asia

Today in Kyiv, IOM’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Arthur Erken met with the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine — Minister for National Unity of Ukraine Oleksii Chernyshov, Deputy Minister of Economy Tetyana Berezhna, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Karasevych and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anton Demiokhin. Immediate humanitarian needs, IOM’s assistance to Ukrainians abroad and opportunities for engaging the diaspora in Ukraine's recovery were the focus of the discussions. IOM - UN Migration is committed to further supporting Ukraine’s resilience.

A humid cold winter day in Bratske village, Mykolaiv region – though not the coldest this month. Bratske village is currently facing a harsh winter. According to the forecast, temperatures will continue to drop in the coming weeks, reaching as low as –6°C, with strong winds making conditions even more precarious. Given that it is the only hospital, serving patients from Bratske and other surrounding villages, warm is essential for both patients and staff. The facility relies on its own boiler for heating. “Last winter, temperatures in some hospital rooms dropped to just 11°C,” says Illia Malitskii, the head of the hospital. “Our old boiler simply wasn’t powerful enough to heat the entire building. We even tried using stronger pumps, but it didn’t help.” The hospital treats up to 140 people daily and has 100 inpatient beds, a vast majority of these cases are related to pneumonia and respiratory infections during the colder months. For those recovering from illness or surgery, a warm environment is provides comfort and normalcy during the war. To address the issue, IOM has provided a new, more efficient solid fuel boiler, ensuring sufficient heat for all hospital buildings. This system can also be decentralised, providing continuous heat even during potential power outages. Furthermore, the boilers utilise otherwise wasted agricultural byproducts from timber, sunflowers etc. "It's been almost a month since the boiler was installed. The wards now hold a consistent 19-21°C, with the surgery rooms warming up to 25°C," says Illia. Overall, IOM has installed over 70 such boilers across Ukraine in schools, kindergartens, community centers and hospitals.

On Monday, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc visited a collective centre for displaced people in Koviahy, Kharkiv region. The centre is now home to 66 internally displaced people from Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions. "My town is gone, completely destroyed. My low pension made renting impossible, so being placed in this center was a miracle,” recalls Svitlana, displaced from Vovchansk, eastern Ukraine. "It was emotional meeting people who had to restart their lives, even in old age. It's remarkable how much humanity they show after all they've endured," said Ambassador Cmoc. Supported by the Canadian Government, IOM held community consultations and will create a communal space. A greenhouse will also be set up for residents to grow vegetables and microgreens, an idea suggested by the IDPs in the collective center. “It is very important that this idea was proposed by the community. I think that for people who have lost everything, the opportunity to take care of themselves, to feed themselves, even in a small way, is very encouraging. I'm looking forward to seeing how this initiative will grow,” added the Ambassador. Together with its international partners, IOM will continue supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine. Embassy of Canada to Ukraine | Ambassade du Canada en Ukraine

Recently IOM conducted rural livelihoods trainings for a thousand household representatives in Dnipropetrovsk and Mykolaiv regions. Training participants are eligible to apply for cash grant support from IOM thanks to funding from the Government of Japan. "This project is a great help for remote villages in difficult times. It gives people an opportunity to restore their farms and create new jobs in our community. Thanks to these grants, our community will be able to expand the range of livestock and vegetable production," says Viktoria Steblii, head of Mykhailivskyi district. “When our residents attend such events, they get hope that they can develop their farming even in times of war,” adds Olena Danylchenko, the head of Bahate village. 国連IOM（国際移住機関）駐日事務所

Arina, Valeriia and Yulia, all internally displaced from the eastern Ukraine, build their small businesses in Kyiv. They received grants from IOM to purchase equipment, rent premises and create new jobs. Read more about their resilience and entrepreneurship experiences in our article: https://bit.ly/4hH5QBH The assistance was made possible thanks to the funding from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through German Development Bank KfW.  

📢 Consultancy opportunity at IOM Ukraine! Project Consultant (ESHS – Environmental Social Health and Safety)  Apply through our career website: https://bit.ly/3WMagPL Application deadline: 16.03.2025