Why did we decide to shift our focus away from the border?

The traffic across the border in Siret has been slowing down for weeks. At the same time, increasing numbers of people are going the other way, back to Ukraine. Having looked into the condition on the ground, it became pretty clear that internally displaced people need our help the most at this time. This is also our chance to establish operations that will be sustained over the long term. From the beginning, Cash For Refugees aims to be in the right place at the right time. Here and now, that’s Chernivtsi. 

What’s happening to our efforts in Siret?

Operations at the border crossing in Siret are currently on hold as we’re shifting our focus toward greаter impact. We are continuing to monitor the situation there closely and evaluating our options for providing assistance to those who are still crossing the border.

Why Chernivtsi and not Lviv, or any of the other cities experiencing similar issues? 

Much like our choice of Siret as our initial site of operations, Chernivtsi feels like the right place to start. It’s close to where we’ve already been operating, we understand the situation on the ground better than elsewhere, and we have a high level of support from the local authorities. Once we establish our presence there, we will immediately look to scale out to other cities in Ukraine. 

Why are we switching to cashless transfers? Didn’t we say that cash is critical?

Cash was critical for people crossing the border, on foot, into the small town of Siret. It gave people immediate agency that they otherwise would not have had. In Chernivtsi, however, the vast majority of people have working bank accounts and access to ATM machines. Electronic transfers are safer for all involved, much easier to track and report transparently and help establish a longer-term relationship with grant recipients so that we can continue to support them into the future. 

Why do we insist on an on-the-ground presence? Can’t we just transfer money from the US? How do we know that we’re helping the right people? 

It’s important for us to maintain a presence on the ground for a number of important reasons. First of all, it allows us to have an up-to-date understanding of what’s going on, where the need is greatest, and what gaps in support exist here and now. This allows us to fine-tune our efforts and maximize our impact. It also helps us serve as a key resource for other organizations that rely on us for up-to-date information. Our physical presence there also allows us to verify that each grant recipient fits our criteria, which is getting increasingly difficult to do remotely. This war, like any other crisis, attracts countless scammers and thieves that try to siphon resources away from those that need our help. 

How do our volunteers get there? Is it safe? 

Cash For Refugees volunteers typically get to Siret the usual way and are met at the border by our partners on the Ukrainian side. While it’s impossible to fully guarantee safety when working on the ground during a humanitarian crisis, we feel that between the support from the local authorities and no more need to carry large amounts of cash on their person, the risks to our volunteers are well mitigated.

Why Narva? How do Ukrainian Refugees wind up on the Russia-Estonia border?

Over the course of the war, tens of thousands of Ukrainians were forcibly “evacuated” and indefinitely detained in “filtration camps” in the southern regions of Russia. They are then released, after varying periods of time, with nowhere to go and very little support. There’s a group of volunteers in Russia that runs an “underground railroad” that helps them get to the Estonian border.

How does Project Narva affect other Cash For Refugees Projects?

Cash For Refugees is scaling out to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Our only limitation is our ability to bring in the required funding to sustain our efforts. We’re taking on Project Narva in addition to the rest of the work we’re doing.

Will Cash For Refugees be present on the ground in Narva?

Not consistently. Unlike Project Siret and Project Chernivtsi, here we’re working with people who are pre-vetted by Rubikus volunteers who are in constant contact with them as they navigate to their final destination. Because of this partnership, we don’t have to maintain an on-the-ground presence in Estonia. We may send teams of volunteers there in the future to provide additional support, but that’s not required.

How will Cash For Refugees provide this support? 

Similar to Project Chernivtsi, we will be transferring money directly to peoples’ bank accounts for them to withdraw.