Eastern Europe
Whether we’re responding to the fallout of war, supporting families as they access new sources of income, or helping communities use renewable energy technologies, our programs in Eastern Europe share the same mission: to build a world where everyone has food, voice and a safe place to call home.
Through programs in Moldova, Bosnia and Serbia, we are providing safe spaces for refugees from all around the world. In Moldova, our response focuses on Ukrainian refugees and ensures they have access to education, psychosocial support and basic needs like food and shelter.
One of the most marginalized groups of people across Europe is the Roma. Roma children are often born into a cycle of poverty and inequality that can follow them for their whole lives. Through programs for Roma women and children, we are helping them break this cycle of generational poverty.
In many rural communities in Eastern Europe, families face various kinds of poverty through food insecurity and energy limitations. To combat these challenges we are inviting communities to participate in our Renewable Energy program where they can learn how to use alternative energies. Participants can also receive livestock to help overcome hunger and diversify their income. Through these programs, families are installing greenhouses, starting their own businesses and building brighter futures.
Together, we will move closer and closer to accomplishing our goal of building a better world for all.
Catching Up With an Old Friend in Georgia
“I live in the village of Kheta in the western part of Georgia,” says Tamar Chumburidze. “I am a mother of three and have two grandchildren. We all live together and our main source of income is a small plot of land where we grow [bay] laurel trees, vegetables and fruit for sale. The income we make is hardly enough to make ends meet and cover basic needs.”
Tamar’s story is all too common in her remote, rural community. Many of her neighbors, especially women, struggle to find jobs or earn a living. There’s also another challenge for families here that compounds everything else: a lack of energy sources. Every day, women and children in particular have to try to find firewood or other biomass that they can burn to heat their homes and cook meals. It’s simply too expensive to try to use gas or electricity to meet even these basic needs.
Explore related work
Latest Updates
A Cold, Brutal Winter Looms in Moldova
Temperatures are dropping in the European nation of Moldova. Each night is a little longer than the one before it, and the first snowflakes of winter will be here soon. Sadly, most indicators show that it will likely be a long, hard winter in Moldova this year. Energy dependence and poverty have long taken a toll here. The International Energy …
Preschool for Jelena
Jelena* was scared to start preschool. She’s a 6-year-old who lives in Belgrade, Serbia, with her family. Jelena’s family are from Belgrade’s Roma community. They live in an informal settlement with other Roma families. Enrolling in school and pursuing an education aren’t givens for Roma children, since they are among the most marginalized children in the country. In order to …
From Migrant to Helper: Adel’s Story
“I arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina three years ago. The road took me through all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to finally reach Bihac. I didn’t know the language; I didn’t even know where I was. At the bus stop, I listened to other people’s conversations, people like me and my at a time seven-year-old son. Passengers. Refugees. Migrants. I heard …