Ukrainians receive free humanitarian and legal consultations from 14 organizations #StandWithUkraine

Publication date: March 11, 2022

Written by: Halyna Kolesnyk, the Communications Manager of the Legal Development Network

The Legal Development Network (LDN) has launched the #StandWithUkraine humanitarian program in response to the challenges of the liberation war in Ukraine. 

Today 14 organizations in different regions of Ukraine take part in it. They provide counseling services in their communities and help overcome the humanitarian crisis. You can see the contacts of organizations and how you can get help on the map. 

Lawyers are mostly asked about:

1.   The order of departure abroad

2.   Obtaining parental consent to cross the border, taking children abroad without parental consent 

3.   The procedure for obtaining a passport, recovery of lost documents

4.  Contacts in host communities to find housing 

5.   Social payments

6.  Humanitarian aid (how to receive, provide, etc.).

In many communities, LDN’s member organizations help coordinate volunteer groups, provide territorial defense and the military units with everything they need. They provide legal support to volunteers, territorial defense units, and local authorities and directly collect humanitarian aid. In the eastern part of Ukraine, logistical support is provided for the evacuation of community residents.

In addition, they help to find solutions to problems that arise. For example, in the Khmilnyk community of Vinnytsia region, the CSO “PRAVO” (Right) is looking for ways to provide food to more than 300 people of vulnerable groups. The issue of increasing the number of homeless animals in the community, the owners of which have left or were left by temporary guests of the community, is becoming more acute.

Part of the team of the CSO “Agency for Democratic Development of Donbas” from Sloviansk (Donetsk oblast) is abroad.

«I and a few people focused their work on finding vital medicines. For example, insulin, L-Thyroxine. They are difficult to get now. We provide more help to people who move abroad – to Poland, Germany, as well as to Ukraine. Now we plan to buy bulletproof vests and helmets to test that they are really in the class specified. Found a batch of 100 bulletproof vests from Switzerland», says Serhii Kovalenko, the head of the organization.

The program also involves organizations working in those communities of Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kherson oblasts that are temporarily out of Ukraine’s control. For them, overcoming the humanitarian crisis is a priority. It is essential to provide food, medicine, care, and medical assistance to the community.  

In addition to the contacts on the map, you can use the hotline of the Charitable Foundation “Right to Protection” from 7:00 to 22:00. The foundation’s lawyers will also advise on housing, humanitarian aid, problems with documents or obtaining refugee status in other countries, etc. Tel. hotline 380-995-075-090, 380-685-075-090, 380-935-075-090

Legal aid is also available online at ldn.org.ua. Because of the crisis conditions in which different categories of the population find themselves during the war, there is often a need for their in-depth legal support. It can be provided by narrow-minded lawyers in certain areas of law, including free secondary legal aid. Thus, the LDN has started to form a network of Pro Bono lawyers and attorneys both in Ukraine and in European countries, which currently have the largest number of Ukrainian citizens. To join this initiative, please fill out this application.

Also within the framework of the #StandWithUkraine program, the Legal Development Network helped to relocate 8 families (23 people) of the staff of the directorate and member organizations from hot spots, compensating the costs of moving and renting the total amount of $ 3,000. Accompanying the resettlement of 10 more families continues. 

We are grateful to the International Renaissance Foundation, the Mott Foundation, the DLA Piper Foundation, and the Legal Empowerment Fund (Fund for Global Human Rights Program) for supporting this work. We are convinced that by working together we will be able to strengthen each other and help as many people as possible who need it.

Glory to Ukraine! Slava Ukraini!

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