Road of Hope launches “Together” project to welcome Ukrainians

Since the war in Ukraine began, 3 months ago, The UN estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need relief and protection, while more than 5 million Ukrainian refugees may need protection and assistance in neighboring countries in the coming months. In The Netherlands, 50 thousand newcomers from Ukraine are estimated. Lined up with this growing need, Road of Road and Samenwonen-Samenleven respond to this crisis by creating “Together” (“Pazom” in Ukrainian), a welcoming project for Ukrainians to find support, develop relationships and access important information about life in Amsterdam.

‘Together’ is a Road of Hope project with the aim of supporting Ukrainian Refugees in Amsterdam. Road of Hope will hold this project with two activities: weekly lunches together with the Ukrainians, and information sessions after lunch. During this time with the refugees we want to offer a space to develop relationships, as well as to provide important information for their local integration, which is the main focus of these gatherings. We will get to know the Ukrainian community and their needs.

Having started on May 13, the project enters its fifth week counting more than 90 subscribers to our virtual community on Telegram, and a group of 25 to 30 people attending our weekly face-to-face meetings. Every Friday, at Ru Parè, Road of Hope provides a safe environment for good conversations, exchanging ideas, English classes and to enjoy the most traditional Ukrainian dishes surrounded by warm people.

First “Together” meeting, at Ru Parè

“Together” enters the month of June celebrating two partnerships

This week (03-06) Impuls childcare, came by our lunch to inform about their activities: Morning activities in Amsterdam for parents and their children aged 0 to 2; events for parents and children aged 0 to 4 years old, such as boat trip, visiting amusement parks, etc. Road of Hope will promote these activities among our community and will help connect parents with Impuls. Besides the partnership with Impuls, soon we will count with Salesforce offering face-to-face sessions on career coaching, CV writing and job interview, besides offering mentorship to the Ukrainians members of our Road of Hope community .

It is worth pointing out that the success of this growing project is due to the effort and perseverance of the Ukrainians themselves, who voluntarily created a network of contacts and put their “hands to the wheel”. In this short time working together, the Ukrainian community has greatly taught us about unity and resilience.