The Japanese government decided to provide more than USD 1 million in aid for the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria in 2023, the Japanese Embassy in Sofia reported on Tuesday. The money will be provided under three projects to be implemented, respectively, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNICEF.
The project with the UNHCR Office is called “Protection and Assistance for Ukrainian Refugees in Bulgaria”. It will use a budget of up to USD 445,898 to create: a helpline by which Ukrainians, mainly women and children, will receive advice about issues they need to tackle in Bulgaria; a legal consultation office; and learning opportunities, including Bulgarian language courses.
The project with the IOM is dubbed “Protection and Direct Assistance for Persons Affected by the Crisis in Ukraine Who Reside in Bulgaria”. The maximum amount of this portion of the aid package is USD 311,231. It will support the early social inclusion of Ukrainian refugees, the enhancement of their access to health care, employment and accommodation, and services for socially vulnerable groups with specific needs.
The third project, with UNICEF, is titled “Assistance for Humanitarian Education and Personal Development of Children, and Participation of Ukrainian Child and Youth Refugees and Other Socially Vulnerable Children and Young People in the Receiving Communities in Bulgaria”. The maximum budget is USD 262,500. It will go towards creating opportunities for quality education for Ukrainian refugees, including remote online learning and Bulgarian language study, assistance for dealing with possible problems related to gender discrimination, and help for inclusion in welfare programmes.
The Japanese Embassy expressed hope that the projects will help minimize the vulnerabilities and the difficulties of the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria, will improve their living infrastructure and will help them get through the winter. “The Japanese government hopes that this aid will ease, at least to some extent, the burden on the Bulgarian government in its effort to support the Ukrainian refugees in the country. The Japanese government, in cooperation with the international community, will continue to follow the situation closely and provide assistance to the people of Ukraine,” the Embassy said.
