Refugees are Refugees, Wherever They May Be
August 2022
6 months into the Ukraine War
"When the need is there, so are we," today more than ever before: helping war refugees from Ukraine since the first days of the Russian aggression, contributing to their community's rehabilitation, and simultaneously providing care to the Venezuelan refugees; NATAN's dedication to refugees knows no borders.
People continue to leave Venezuela to escape violence, insecurity, threats, and a lack of food, medicine, and essential services. With over 6 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants worldwide, 2.5 million have found shelter in Colombia. This has become the second-largest external displacement crisis in the world. (UNHCR 2022)
Far from the cameras, for almost two years, NATAN has been working on creating a Health Center for Women and Children near the Venezuelan border in the city of Cucuta. The Colombian authorities support this exceptional project of three leading Jewish NGOs, highly experienced in refugee relief worldwide, NATAN (Israel), HIAS (USA), and CADENA-COLOMBIA. The Health Center is now fully operational. We need your support.
Venezuelan migrants and refugees cross into Colombia - Photo: AFP
August 2022 - Ukrainian refugees waiting to enter refugee transit center in Przemysl, Poland. Photo: NATAN volunteer Stacene Maroushek
6 Months of Ukrainian Refugee Relief
Close to 7 million refugees have fled their homes in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24 of this year. The vast majority of Ukrainian refugees who have reached other countries fled via Poland – most of them crossing the border at Medyka, near Przemysl, where NATAN’s teams are deployed.
NATAN has been on the ground aiding Ukrainian refugees since early
March – having mobilized immediately upon news of the Russian invasion. Over the past six months, NATAN has sent 15 teams of volunteers including medical professionals, social workers and logistics. Approximately 20,000 Ukrainian refugees have been aided directly by NATAN medical and psycho-social professionals.
NATAN has worked 24/7 operating the medical clinic inside the
refugee transit center in Przemysl, Poland – just a few kilometers
from the Ukrainian border. NATAN’s volunteers work as one unit, a shining example not only of multidisciplinary teamwork but also multicultural: Our volunteers come from Israel (both Jewish and Arab volunteers), the USA and Brazil. To date, over 150 NATAN volunteers have served in the Ukraine Refugee Relief operation.
Click here to learn more about this operation.
Above: NATAN Team 15, seen here at the medical clinic in the Przemysl Refugee Center (left to right): Dr. Yechiel Arkin, Social Worker Victoria Shuster, Social Worker Katya Vainer, Dr. Stacene Maroushek, Social Worker Suzan Vekker, Nurse Hagit Salem, Head of Mission Daniel lluz-Freundlich.
Above: NATAN Team 14 Group photo in Przemysl: Back row L-R: Social Worker Tania Eitan, Social Worker Ornat Rabino, MD Cristiane Isabela de Almeida, Nurse Yarden Ifrah, MD Marcelo Dratcu, Medic Anna Tsviling, MD Paulo Tsuyoshi Sato, Social Worker Marina Kosenkova, Social Worker Natalya Perlov, Social Worker Ronen Nazarov; Middle row L-R: Nurse Ofra Eshet, MD Jerry Hersh, Nurse Michal Sade; Front: Head Of Mission Shahaf Pripaz
Summer camp for Ukrainian and Polish Youth
In July, sixty children (ages 10-16), seven young leaders (16-20) from Yavoriv, Ukraine, and Cieszanow, Poland, and nearly 40 educators and volunteers from around the world took part in a two-week integrative language immersion summer camp hosted in the town of Cieszanow, located about 10 miles from the Ukrainian border. A group of volunteer teachers from AFT- American Federation of Teachers, provided morning lessons in English. Campers included Ukrainian and Polish children aged 10 – 14 and teens – young leaders – who participated in leadership training workshops. Warm bonds were formed among all participants, building new friendships and bringing cultures together. A warm thanks to our hard-working counselors from Hashomer Hatzair World Youth Movement. NATAN has partnered with Hashomer Hatzair for many years – a successful collaboration with a meeting of minds and values. The summer camp was organized by several organizations working together: NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief, The Kosciuszko Foundation, Folkowisko Foundation, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and the local government of Cieszanow, Poland.
Blue Skies for Ukrainian youth - Respite from the war - photos above and below: NATAN counselors lead summer camp activities in Cieszanow, Poland
Summer Training Program for Ukrainian Frontline Caregivers
Over the summer, NATAN has run 3 rounds of Psychosocial Support Training for Ukrainian Frontline Caregivers in the Polish town of Cieszanow. The training includes dynamic classroom lectures (translated to Ukrainian) and role plays in trauma intervention. The trainees are all professionals who provide aid to Ukrainians, internally displaced by the war. Trainers include longtime NATAN member Dr. Moshe Farhi, the developer of the Six C’s model for Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Training and professor at Tel Hai College. The program is run jointly by NATAN and our partner Folkowisko Foundation.
Photos Above: Ukrainian frontline caregivers receive training in psychological first aid and building community resilience. While the caregivers receive training, their children enjoy summer camp activities.
Medical and Psychosocial Center for
Venezuelan Women and Children Migrants in Cucuta, Colombia
In June 2022, the Center began providing medical services with Colombian doctors employed and supervised by NATAN. The Center is located in Cucuta, a town on the Colombia side of the Colombia-Venezuela border. The Center is part of a tent complex which includes a field hospital, and other areas designated to provide safety and vital services to migrant women and children. The main target of the medical services are refugee women and their children. However, services are available to all, including Colombian residents of Cucuta. We plan to expand our services from the hospital to also provide migrants with psychological care, counseling, and information about their rights and economic opportunities. We hope that The Center will become a haven of peace and security. This project is an exceptional partnership of three leading non-profit organizations, CADENA (Colombia), HIAS (USA), and NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief (Israel). The three Jewish agencies offer medical, mental health, informal education, and informational services to the Venezuelan refugees and the local Cucuta population. Read more.
Venezuelan migrant family at the Center in Cucuta, Colombia
Join us at NATAN’s Annual General Assembly
WHEN: Sunday, September 4, 2022 at 6:30 pm
WHERE: Civic Leadership House,
26 Saadia Gaon Street, Tel Aviv
Everyone is invited: All NATAN members and volunteers - past, present and future are welcome! SEE YOU THERE!
Mobile Dental Clinic - Israel
Dental Care for the Neediest in Israel – Every 2 weeks NATAN volunteer Dentists and Dental Assistants hold a dental care clinic at a shelter for women and youth at risk in Haifa. While it is not always possible to photograph this ongoing project, it provides a vital service to this under-served population.