The escalation of the war in Ukraine three years ago posed a major challenge to the international humanitarian community, including OlamAid. The war and its consequences in Europe required a rapid response and increased cooperation. Our cooperation with war-affected communities – both inside and outside Ukraine – has fundamentally changed our organisation. Working with our partners has reinforced our belief in the importance of values such as respect, sustainability, adaptability and inclusion. We are confident that we can continue to support each other for as long as it takes.
We present you with a brief report of OlamAid's humanitarian work done in cooperation with the Central Welfare Board of Jews in Germany and supported by Aktion Deutschland Hilft.
Gal Rachman, CEO of OlamAid: ‘Our focus is on vulnerable groups such as minorities, children - orphans -, frontline communities and multiple internally displaced people. Because of our deep-rooted connection to the Jewish community, we endeavour to meet needs that are often overlooked. As the risks to vulnerable groups increase, their challenges will continue to grow - but so will our commitment. With our identity and our proven approaches, we will continue to stand by their side in the future.’
As early as January 2022 - before the full-scale invasion - we worked with our local partner Avalist to provide psychological first aid in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and set up a 24/7 hotline for people affected by the war. As the war escalated and the number of people affected skyrocketed, the project was expanded. In addition to psychological and psychosocial support, we began to provide humanitarian aid supplies, rebuild critical infrastructure and set up emergency safe spaces.
In the summer of 2022, we established a community centre in Romania to support Ukrainian refugees. In 2023, we expanded our activities to the neighbouring countries of Romania, Moldova and Poland. There, we are working with local partners to promote the mental well-being and integration of vulnerable groups and minorities from Ukraine.
Since the liberation of the Kyiv region, we have also been working with the local organisation District1 to rebuild schools and kindergartens and distribute relief supplies - especially in winter, when our focus is on heating and energy.
Over time, it has become clear that it is not only important to respond quickly and increase the volume of aid, but also to ensure that the support is sustainable. True aid is not only about material resources, but also about social cohesion. Over the past three years, we have focused on vulnerable groups, including orphans, minorities such as the Roma, and internally displaced persons. Recognizing the importance of an inclusive approach, we work with Jewish communities in Ukraine and beyond. As part of this collaboration, we have already established eight Emergency Safe Spaces in Ukraine, some in close partnership with Jewish communities.
In Ukraine alone, we have helped more than 1,400,000 people in the last three years.
Svitlana, Project Coordinator: 'In Kakhovka, after the destruction of the dam, our project provided water filters for the affected region. In Siversk (Donetsk region) - a hard-to-reach and hard-hit frontline town - we provided flour for the local community to bake bread. We respond quickly to emergencies and help where it is most needed. This was possible thanks to our adaptability and flexible cooperation with Aktion Deutschland Hilft and local organisations in Ukraine.
As early as September 2022, one million people arrived in Germany from Ukraine - mainly women, children and elderly people. Since 2016, OlamAid has been pursuing a holistic approach to refugee aid: we combine intercultural mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) with integration work for refugees through leadership and active participation. This approach also underlies our work with Ukrainian refugees.
In April 2022, our art therapists started therapy sessions in shelters and community centres to help both children and adults cope with the mental stress and trauma of war. In July, the first Leadership and Participation Group was founded in Berlin, which organises its own activities and relief actions for society, its community and other refugees. The participants support each other to achieve their personal goals. The first group started in Frankfurt am Main in September, with another to follow in Bonn in 2023. One of the project's outstanding successes is the promotion of social contacts and the active integration of participants into society. Burnout prevention, mental stabilisation, cultural events and city tours have helped to make mental health and psychosocial support more sustainable and effective.
By the beginning of 2025, the project had reached around 15,000 people and organised more than 8,000 support measures and encounters.
Our navigators are not only part of the leadership and participation groups but also take on additional responsibilities and launch new initiatives. Immediately after completing the first leadership group in 2022, navigator Aliona founded a playback theatre group. Within two and a half years, over a hundred people took part in these initiatives, and some of them founded two independent playback theatre groups. In Frankfurt am Main, navigators initiated book clubs, started podcasts, organised language cafés and held creative and resilience-building workshops.
After completing leadership groups, Ukrainians often become actively involved in other OlamAid projects and work in international teams, together with other people affected by crises. In 2024, a group of volunteers travelled to the Ukrainian-Moldovan border as part of the Horizon International project to provide assistance and establish contacts with local support centres for refugees. Ukrainians also took part in relief efforts for communities affected by floods in Germany and Poland in 2024. Overall, they have become an indispensable part of our volunteer community - not only in Berlin and Germany but also in Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Poland and Greece.
The opportunity to socialise with people from different cultures and break down prejudices is a valuable experience. But for most volunteers, the desire to help takes centre stage: ‘First we were helped - now we help’. Sincere gratitude that turns into active support for others is one of the key factors in breaking down social barriers. Instead of powerlessness and isolation, people find the strength to support those who are travelling a similar path.
Irina, Navigator: ‘When you arrive as a refugee, you don't realise what work the volunteers have done to ensure that this help reaches you. Now I realise that it's not easy for them either - the support doesn't come out of nowhere, it's also an emotional commitment for us. After our first trip to Moldova, I was very sad because I realised that we couldn't help everyone. But this experience helped me to understand how everything works. Now I know and I can use this knowledge in the future to do even more and help others.’
In challenging situations, we see people become role models and show the best of humanity. We have found such people in our team, among our partners and in the people we support. This is an inspiring experience that enables us to build strong connections with particularly vulnerable groups and provide help where it is needed most. The support structure we wanted to create has become a reality.
