COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM

PRACTICAL ASSITANCE

Many refugee families and individuals live in insecure and precarious conditions, putting them at high risk in times of crisis. In collaboration with the communities we support, we aim to mitigate these risks through providing flexible and targeted emergency assistance. The needs of local communities vary per season and highly depend on other external factors such as the political and economic circumstances in the host country, and we try to respond accordingly. UHfR offers the following types of support:

Nutritional: We provide grocery store vouchers so that families can purchase food and hygiene items that are most relevant for their families.
Educational: We distribute essential school supplies, such as backpacks, notebooks, pencils etc.
Gender-specific: We distribute hygiene items for women, connect domestic abuse survivors to organisations that offer specialised legal assistance, and provide material assistance for single mothers.

Household: We distribute basic household supplies such as blankets, mattresses, stoves, and radiators for heat. We offer financial aid to pay water, gas and electricity bills to support families at risk of eviction or having their services cut.
Medical: We work to directly support medical emergency cases in urgent situations, to ensure access to essential specialist treatment and medication when other health care services cannot be otherwise accessed.
Psychosocial: We contribute to community initiatives aimed at providing PSS, such as community center programs.

We rely on an extensive network of local collaborators to determine the needs of the refugee communities we support. We work directly with the communities, focusing on building relationships. We respond to the constantly changing needs of the communities, and adjust our strategies based on the information we receive on a regular basis from the community leaders.

CULTURE & IDENTITY

One of our goals is to support the preservation of the cultural identity of marginalised refugee communities and assist communities to maintain and celebrate their own heritage and traditions.

At UHfR we acknowledge and believe in the importance of protecting and celebrating cultural heritage and tradition as a central part of the life and well-being of human societies.

We do this through:

Supporting community initiatives and events, that focus on creating spaces and opportunities for community to preserve, celebrate and share their cultural heritage, such as: equipping community centers, providing for specific religious events, such as celebration feasts.

Raising awareness about the culture, traditions and history of refugee communities as a way of sharing knowledge and reducing stigma, as well as preserving the cultural identity of forcibly displaced ethnic minorities for future generations.