Overview Overview

Overview

Since the early days of the war in Ukraine, young people in Scouting mobilised immediately and volunteered around the clock. This helped ensure that Ukrainian families had access to basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, clothes and protection after fleeing the war. This was especially apparent in countries neighbouring Ukraine: Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Lithuania, Czechia, Latvia and Slovakia. 
WOSM Secretary General Ahmad Alhendawi visits Poland, where Scouts & Guides are welcoming and helping refugees arriving from Ukraine.
©Worldf Scout Bureau Inc. / © Konrad Kmieć

Joining forces with UNICEF

To continue providing critical care and support to Ukrainian children and families, UNICEF and the Scout Movement launched a regional partnership in April 2022, under the name UAct: Scouts in Humanitarian Response for Ukraine, enabling both organisations to scale-up their responses to make sure that support reaches those in need. Under UAct, National Scout Organizations in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova, Lithuania, Czechia, Latvia, and Slovakia have established structured activities and initiatives to best meet the needs of refugees from Ukraine, while the National Scout Organization in Ukraine has been leading activities to address the needs and support internally displaced families and children in Ukraine.

Through the partnership, UNICEF and the Scout Movement are addressing the short-term and immediate needs of Ukrainian refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) while also focusing on medium and long-term objectives. By also encouraging cross-collaboration between National Scout Organizations, long-term objectives aim to equip Scouts with the competencies to act as peer-support volunteers for refugees and IDPs in any humanitarian situation, as well as strengthen approaches to increase social cohesion, intercultural dialogue and inclusion of underrepresented groups within Scouting.