Monday, January 15 2024 11:45

ArmInfo. In 2023, the Ukrainian Assistance Fund Dopomoga.am, which was created in Yerevan in 2022 to assist refugees from Ukraine seeking asylum in Armenia, provided a total of assistance to over 6 thousand people. The past year for the Organization was distinguished by the fact that the beneficiaries of the Fund were not only Ukrainian refugees, but also citizens forcibly displaced from Artsakh to Armenia after the  well-known sad events.

Talking to ArmInfo, President of the Organization, Elena Shevchuk,  noted that the Fund is not just a center for issuing humanitarian  aid. Today the organization is an integration center where meetings,  various events, language classes, etc. are held. In total, according  to her, in 2023, more than 600 events were held, in which about 7  thousand people took part.

As Shevchuk noted, the number of Ukrainian refugees practically did  not change during the year, since some come and others leave.  Armenia, according to the head of the Foundation, is predominantly  chosen by ethnic Armenians and members of their families.

The Dopomoga Foundation has joined initiatives to help Artsakh  residents since the beginning of the forced displacement of citizens  (since September 2023). In total, about 2,000 Artsakh residents  received food packages, clothing, bed linen, and blankets. In  addition, the Headquarters managed to help more than 30 Artsakh  residents with their settlement.

Since November, in addition to the concerned citizens of Armenia, the  Union of Armenians of Ukraine, the Zaporozhye Community of Armenia  and the Headquarters of the Armenians of Dnieper have joined the  Ukrainian Fund to provide assistance to the people of Artsakh. The  latter was created since the beginning of the war in Ukraine to  provide assistance to those in need.

It is noteworthy that the Organization also cooperates with the  Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to resolve issues  related to Ukrainian refugees, and from September 2023, refugees from  Artsakh.  Shevchuk noted that in general, cooperation with UNHCR is  constant. In particular, twice a year the Foundation received small  assistance in the form of equipment for its office and shelter, in  which refugees from Ukraine who find themselves in difficult  situations live today.

Speaking about plans for 2024, Elena Shevchuk noted: "This year we  plan to launch a social business in order to use the proceeds for the  functioning of the organization. And we already have certain ideas>.  At the same time, she emphasized that there are plans to enter into  international cooperation and participate in grant programs for  further effective work.

The Foundation actively covers its activities on social networks, in  particular, the necessary information can be found on Facebook  (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1125045808339463/), Instagram  (https://www.instagram.com/dopomoga_am /), on the telegram channel  (https://t.me/dopomoga_am), etc.

The Dopomoga.am Relief Fund (Dopomoga, the Ukrainian for "help" -  ed.) was created since the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine and  operates in Yerevan at the address st. Khanjyan, 3