A new European project aimed at mitigating the social consequences of the war in Ukraine has been launched under the funding call ESF-SI-2024-UA-01, titled “Innovative Approaches to Mitigate the Societal Consequences of Russia’s War of Aggression Against Ukraine within EU Countries.”
The Holistic Empowerment and Access for Resilience and Transformation project carries the acronym HEART. Spanning a period of 18 months, the initiative has requested funding totaling €583,323.
HEART is designed to develop and pilot innovative methods for supporting Ukrainian refugee women, focusing on empowerment and facilitating their social and economic integration in host countries across the European Union. The initiative aligns with broader European efforts to address the humanitarian impact of the armed conflict, with a particular emphasis on aiding the most vulnerable—women displaced by the war.
Project Summary
HEART is a transnational social research initiative focused on identifying effective ways to support Ukrainian refugee women in building independent lives within their host communities across the European Union.
The project is jointly implemented by two experienced non-governmental organizations—Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) in Hungary and AIDRom in Romania—both with extensive backgrounds in assisting Ukrainian refugees. At the core of the HEART concept lies the principle of empowerment, which is explored and tested through innovative methods across four thematic areas:
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gender-based violence (GBV) support and prevention;
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access to services and social inclusion;
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housing solutions;
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employment opportunities.
These innovative methods will be piloted through deep exchanges of experience and knowledge, close collaboration with various stakeholders, and the involvement of both volunteers and beneficiaries at every stage. The project will culminate in the development of four Standards of Procedure / Theories of Exchange, intended for continued use by the implementing organizations and further dissemination at national and EU levels.
The approaches experimented in the field of income generation through assisting different forms of self-initiatives will be compared and published in a Comparative Study for use for multiple purposes.
This is then followed by the development of an Incubator programme where the models tested will be analysed and the most effective one selected for actual implementation in the Support Centre for Ukrainian refugees opened and maintained by HIA in Budapest.
By tackling the challenges faced by Ukrainian refugee women from multiple angles, the HEART project seeks to generate a meaningful, lasting impact on their path toward social inclusion and autonomy within host societies.
*„Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.”
