With World Refugee Day - Help in the action of providing hope far from home

June 20, 2023

Every year, on June 20, the world celebrates the strength and courage of people who were forced to leave their home, to avoid conflict or persecution, and, according to UNHCR, this year’s theme of World Refugee Day, is – “hope far from home”.

Many, as last week’s disaster on the shores of the Mediterranean brutality reminds us, when a vessel with 750 women, men and children sank near the Greek coast, never reach their dream and reach that hope for a better tomorrow – far from home.

However, Montenegro has once again (to many to count) times in the past more than three decades, opened its doors for those who are fleeing – this time for Ukrainian refugees from the war – and Help, as before, helps in its efforts to settled down and supporting these people.

In the past year and four months, Help, with the support of donors and in cooperation with the Ukrainian volunteer organization Good deeds (Dobro djelo), has been trying to give “hope far from home” to Ukrainian refugees who left their homes in the face of Russian aggression, which began on February 24 last year.

Having in mind the number of inhabitants, Montenegro is at the top of the European countries that have opened their doors to Ukrainian refugees in the past period, just as it was in 1999, at the time of the NATO intervention and the war in Kosovo, when it received more than 120,000 refugees and the displaced people.

It was exactly back then when Help started its humanitarian mission in Montenegro, helping those who, fleeing the horrors, left behind their homes, usually without anything.

We provided and continue to provide support to Ukrainian refugees- of whom about 10 thousand currently reside in Montenegro- in various ways: from aid packages to summer camps for children, language classes, sports activities, school equipment, clothes and other necessities.

In providing “hope far from home”, Help is assisted by the German Network of Humanitarian Organizations for Rapid Action – Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH), the Belgian King Baudouin Foundation and the Montenegrin Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare.

We are currently helping with Montenegrin language classes for easier adaptation, and we are also preparing a series of trips for Ukrainian children this summer: