Empowering Local Organizations and Enhancing Resource Mobilization in Ukraine Refugee Response

Representatives from local women-led and women rights organizations (WLO/WROs) and LGBTIQ+-led organizations from Poland, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia working on Ukraine refugee response met in a two-day workshop in Warsaw to identify new and effective approaches to resource mobilization in the changing funding landscape.

The workshop on "Adaptive Strategies for Resource Mobilization in a Changing Landscape: CSO Capacity Building in the Ukraine Refugee Response” organized by Oxfam and UN Women, as co-chairs of the Regional Gender Task Force for the Ukraine Refugee Response aimed to enhance the resource mobilization skills, facilitate knowledge-sharing among the organizations to foster sustainable cooperation, and share perspectives on the current funding landscape in the context of refugee response in the region.

“This is such a rare opportunity to actually discuss our experience with different donors”, shares Nastya Podorozhnya from Martynka. “We discussed many things, such as how the reporting went and how flexible was the funding. I have a full list of contacts that I might be reaching out soon. This is super practical.”

Women and girls often face heightened risks and vulnerabilities during displacement. In the context of the Ukraine refugee response, where people displaced beyond the borders of Ukraine were overwhelmingly women and children, these risks and challenges were particularly acute. WLO/WROs have been playing a vital role in addressing these challenges and promoting gender equality within refugee communities.

Rebeca Acin, Gender and Humanitarian Specialist at UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia said, “We know, including through past research, that WLO/WROs and LGBTIQ+-led organizations need long-term, flexible funding in order deliver crucial services, adapt their activities to changing needs, and support their core work. In order to address some of these challenges, this workshop aimed at empowering participants with practical insights and tools to enhance their organizations' funding capabilities. However, systemic change is needed for the humanitarian donors to effectively support the work of local organizations.".

The event engaged 17 representatives from local WLO/WROs and LGBTIQ+-led organizations working on the Ukraine refugee response, displacement and/or protection from Poland, Slovakia, Moldova and Romania. During the workshop, the participants had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of resource mobilization strategies and access new tools for collaboration and innovation, allowing their organizations to pool resources, access new funding sources, and amplify their impact, ultimately contributing to positive change for refugee communities.