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In preparation for the cold weather as well as to continue meeting the basic needs of vulnerable Ukrainians, IOM Slovakia (IOM) has distributed 700 personal kits that consisted of hygienic supplies and warm clothes. 

Reducing stress, and improving mood and self-expression of people – also these are the main goals of music therapy in supporting people's mental health.

Mongolian New Year is celebrated on 21 February. IOM Slovakia had the opportunity to organize a requested info session for 38 members of the Mongolian community in Slovakia, ending the gathering with the NYE celebration.

“The aim is really to make sure that, if possible, Ukrainians find a job that matches their qualifications, because out of those thirty thousand, a lot of people are working in much lower positions than they are qualified for”, said Zuzana Vatráľová, the Head of IOM Slovakia Office in her statement regarding the one-year mark of the assistance to people from Ukraine. 

Geneva – One year ago, destruction and human suffering swept across Ukraine on a scale unseen in Europe in three generations. Towns and cities have been obliterated; tight-knit communities scattered by gunfire, missiles, and bombs.

24 February marked one year since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, which displaced a third of the population of this country and triggered the largest wave of refugees in Europe since World War II. Millions of people have been forced to flee Ukraine and over 100,000 have requested temporary refuge in Slovakia.

Since the war broke out in Ukraine, Slovakia has become a destination country for thousands of Ukrainian people, including women, children, older people, people with disabilities, and specific needs. 

During December 2022 and January 2023, the IOM team organized seven trainings on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) for professionals working with Ukrainian people, including the management of the Humanitarian Centre in Gabcikovo, employees from Mareena, the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic and IOM staff members.

Below-zero temperatures, fresh snow, unstable or no electricity and energetic supplies make people leave war-torn Ukraine for winter. With new people arriving in Slovakia, facilities for these people need to be furnished with basics: kitchen and hygienic utilities.

In January 2023, IOM donated 50 folding beds to Volunteer Fire-group in Presov. Occasionally, big groups of displaced people on the run from Ukraine come at the same time and it can be challenging to provide all of them a decent place to sleep. In cases like this, folding beds can serve to numerous people at once.