READ STORIES FROM OUR PARTNERS IN EUROPE & EURASIA
Frontline Youth Network (FYN) is a community of young people who connect and empower other young people from rural and borderline communities in Armenia. Working at the grassroots level, FYN’s mission is to advance youth activism, engage people on the frontlines, and advocate for sustainable peace.
Havasar Educational Foundation is a youth-led organization focused on improving access to inclusive education for children with disabilities. Havasar has created a mobile educational app that contains accessible lessons for children with visual, hearing, or intellectual disabilities.
Queer Sista Platform is a queer feminist organization working with and for LGBTQ+ people. The platform hosts different queer initiatives and creates a safe space for self-expression and self-organization, as well as for collective, peer, and professional support.
The Centre for Peace Studies (CPS) promotes nonviolence and social change through education, public policy, research, and activism. CPS provides psychosocial support, legal consultations, and community integration activities for migrant and refugee children and youth, including unaccompanied minors, and advocates for improved integration and migration policies.
Initiative for Social Changes (ISC) promotes and advocates for sustainable positive changes for the welfare and protection of social groups in vulnerable circumstances. The organization’s priority areas are child protection and welfare; gender equality and women’s rights; and youth empowerment.
Invisible Labor is a youth-led volunteer organization that promotes reproductive health and rights for women. The organization’s efforts are focused on alleviating period poverty, improving access to hygienic facilities and low-cost or free menstrual hygiene products, and increasing workplace protections.
Youth for Public Health improves access to educational resources for young people in rural areas and supports and strengthens youth development. The organization is launching a mobile classroom that delivers on-site and in-person programs using specially designed equipment with interactive educational resources and a mobile cinema.
HunHelp was founded by Ukrainian and Hungarian volunteers to assist Ukrainian refugees fleeing the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. HunHelp’s food program provides food vouchers for Ukrainian families in communities all over Hungary.
Romaversitas Foundation offers training for Roma students attending university or planning to attend university. The organization also provides trauma-informed information for local NGOs, a peer mentoring program, parental engagement programs, and direct educational support.
Italian Consortium of Solidarity (ICS) assists asylum seekers, refugees, and persons with temporary or subsidiary protection in Trieste and Friuli Venezia Giulia. ICS organizes reception and integration services including accommodations; legal, health, and psychological support; and a path to integration through school enrollment for kids and vocational training for adults.
Children of Tien-Shan provides a variety of crisis services to children and youth who are at risk of neglect and abuse in Balykchy. Children of Tien-Shan also offers an emergency shelter and helps place children with safe foster families, offering them better care and support than they might receive in orphanages and government-run boarding schools.
Jointly Act Girls promotes and protects the rights of girls and works to reduce gender-based violence, child marriage, and bride kidnapping. This youth-led organization, which was founded by a 16-year-old girl, provides rights education and leadership programs, empowering girls to influence their families, schools, and communities, and promotes new legislation and policies.
The National Federation of Female Communities of Kyrgyzstan (NFFCK) is a girls-led organization working throughout Kyrgyzstan to empower girls and decrease child marriage and violence against girls through public awareness programs, girls’ leadership and health programs, community outreach, and national advocacy.
Ravenstvo provides educational and physical rehabilitation, home visits, consultations, income-generating activities, and access to employment for children and youth with disabilities.
Ulybka Public Foundation focuses on promoting leadership, tolerance, and entrepreneurship among children and youth in southern Kyrgyzstan, including orphans and children living on the streets.
Education Center: Diversity promotes human rights, tolerance, social responsibility, and respect for cultural diversity. The organization offers educational resources and programs; provides training to teachers and other professionals; and creates opportunities for members of minority groups to share their cultures and traditions.
Feminismd raises awareness about gender equality issues. By utilizing its social media platforms and organizing in-person and online events, the organization informs teenagers in Moldova about gender equality and social justice issues and empowers them to combat these problems.
The Institute for Rural Initiatives (formerly Ograda Noastra NGO) promotes socio-economic initiatives in rural communities in Moldova, with a focus on disadvantaged and marginalized populations.
NGO Demos works with students, teachers, and parents in rural areas in Moldova to foster civic engagement and volunteerism and to provide young people with career counseling. The organization has empowered youth volunteers to participate in local government processes and to make their schools more energy efficient.
NGO Pharos is a youth-led organization that trains other young people on how to work with local authorities so they can raise awareness about issues affecting youth. The organization also empowers young people to implement their own projects.
Tekedu is a youth-led organization that increases access to technology for marginalized groups and fosters entrepreneurship to break down barriers to employment and education. The organization offers technology-focused programs and trainings to girls, children with disabilities, Roma children, and children from rural areas.
STUDEM is a youth center led and managed by a group of elected young people, and its priority is to increase civic engagement among youth. STUDEM also works to foster media literacy through partnerships with media institutions.
Youth Media Center (YMC) holds media training workshops in journalism, video production, blogging, and radio for children and youth, including children and youth with disabilities and children from Roma and other marginalized communities.
Legis advocates for human rights and provides humanitarian, legal, and medical assistance to migrants and asylum seekers, with a focus on registering and protecting unaccompanied minors. The organization – which involves young volunteers and migrants in its decision-making – offers psychosocial support to migrants in detention centers and deploys mobile assistance teams to provide support for migrants across the country.
Martynka was created after the 2022 Russian invasion forced millions of Ukrainian refugees to flee to Poland. The organization’s programs include a trafficking prevention program at the Poland-Ukraine border and a program assisting survivors of gender-based violence with legal, medical, and psychological support.
Mudita is a women-led association that supports families that have fled from the war in Ukraine and are living with disabilities. Mudita operates a hotline as well as centers in two cities that provide physical and occupational therapy; psychosocial support; and social services support.
Asociatia Alternative Sociale defends and promotes human rights in Romania through prevention, assistance, training, research, and advocacy activities. The organization provides Ukrainian refugees in Romania with social and psychological assistance, including educational integration, prevention of trafficking, and legal support services.
Asociatia Anais works to prevent domestic violence and provides support for survivors of domestic violence with programs that include legal advice and psychological counseling. Anais supports Ukrainian refugees through safe spaces in Bucharest where Ukrainian girls and women can access social support and information; individual and group psychological support; and other services.
Asociatia OvidiuRo’s mission is to make quality early education available to every child in Romania. The organization registers children aged 5 to 7 for school; provides them with lunches and attendance incentives; engages their parents in helping them prepare for kindergarten and first grade; and provides workshops and training for teachers, social workers, and volunteers.
Asociatia pentru Libertatea si Egalitatea de Gen (ALEG) promotes gender equality and fights gender-based violence and discrimination in Romania.
CONCORDIA Romania empowers children and young people facing difficult circumstances to regain their confidence and lead fulfilling, independent lives. The organization works in low-income communities providing family-type homes, day centers, schools, and social housing, and it offers social, educational, and vocational training services.
Asylum Protection Center (APC) provides legal, psychological, and other assistance to asylum seekers in Serbia, serving children aged 0 to 24 through consultations with lawyers, social workers, and psychologists.
Asylum and Refuge Center (ARC) advocates for the rights of migrants and provides comprehensive support to children and youth migrating with their families, as well as to unaccompanied minors. In addition to offering legal and psychosocial assistance to migrant youth, ARC empowers teenage volunteers to lead school programs designed to create safe conditions for social interaction and inclusion.
Incest Trauma Center serves as a counseling center that provides psychological support to child and adult survivors of sexual assault, and as a training center that educates professionals who work to protect women and children from domestic abuse. The organization also advocates for survivors of sexual abuse by raising public awareness and connecting communities with policymakers.
The Know How Center (KHC) supports Roma children and children and youth from other marginalized groups by holding workshops that encourage parents to send their children to preschool, engaging in outreach to help families access social services, providing education support, and running a youth program focused on improving the psychosocial health of teenagers.
The Dushanbe Youth House provides educational and vocational courses for children – including children living on the streets, working children, and children from low-income families – as well as psychological support to children and their families.
Iroda provides access to quality services appropriate for the unique needs of children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD); trains professionals and parents on working with children with ASD; facilitates a parent support group; and helps children with ASD enroll in formal school.
Young Generation of Tajikistan is a youth-led organization based in Dushanbe that works to increase the participation of young people in social development and poverty reduction efforts.
Mavi Kalem Social Assistance and Charity Association mobilizes community volunteers in Turkey to empower women and children, including migrants and refugees. The organization offers arts and education programs for children, including workshops for girls on physical and mental health, sports, and protection from violence and sexual abuse.
For their safety amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, GFC is naming its partner organizations in Ukraine only when they have asked to be publicly identified. Please see our Ukraine emergency response webpage for more information.
BEAP Community Partnership is a community-based group in Manningham, Bradford with a traditional focus on serving the local Bangladeshi community. The organization engages young people in social action through sports with projects such as developing and training young people as volunteer sports activators; working with its young football fan group, Bangla Bantams, to set up community littering projects at Bradford City Football Club; and developing a youth café in its new Sports Hub.
Breaking the Silence (BTS) supports a particularly underserved population of West Yorkshire: Black-African, Afro-Caribbean, and South Asian boys and young men who are affected by, or are survivors of, sexual abuse, many of whom are reluctant to seek help because of systemic racism and patriarchal structures. BTS conducts extensive community outreach to find its clients, supports them through interventions to keep them safe, and then offers individual and group counseling to meet each survivor’s unique needs.
A youth-focused organization in the United Kingdom, Integrate UK works to address female-genital mutilation (FGM) and honor-based violence (HBV) through peer education in schools, training for frontline professionals, film development, stage productions, conferences, and advocacy with local and national government such as police departments, schools, and Parliament.
With an emphasis on serving youth involved in or at risk of criminal behavior, Juvenis helps young people in South London to turn their lives around and re-engage with employment, education, or training. Its specialized programs include mentorship for youth in police custody, therapy and life skills training for survivors of domestic violence, an expressive safe space for girls and young women, and individualized support for disenfranchised youth entering the job market.
Leaders in Community (LiC) engages vulnerable children and youth in Tower Hamlets through an employment program, an enterprise program that supports start-ups, music lessons, sports, a community garden, volunteer opportunities, and a leadership and governance program.
Little Fish Theatre provides youth aged 10 to 19 who live in poor communities in south London with arts-based programs such as productions, workshops, counseling, and advocacy that develop self-empowerment and life skills and encourage empathy and positive communication.
Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy (TKBA) is a nascent and growing community-based organization that has strong engagement with boys and young men in its community. Using a mix of boxing, mentoring, and personal development, TKBA empowers boys and young men from highly deprived urban communities, supporting them to develop positive masculine identities.
The Violence Intervention Project (VIP) supports young people who have been involved in or are at risk of violent behavior. Through one-on-one outreach and group sessions, as well as school workshops, sports activities, and camps, VIP helps youth to open up about their experiences, develop positive relationships, and end the cycle of violence in their communities.
The Warren Youth Project is a free community resource center for young people in Hull, England, where youth can access a range of services to support their wellbeing, employability, education, and creativity. Its programs – which are guided by young people – include counseling, a food bank and cafeteria, youth employment services, social justice campaigning, emergency support, arts projects, complementary therapies, and a recording label and studio.
West Bowling Youth Initiative has supported young people engaging in their communities for over 30 years by helping youth volunteer; building youth leadership opportunities and programs; and setting up new youth-run initiatives. The organization engages with hard-to-reach young people, including those excluded from or struggling at school; ex-offenders and youth in the criminal justice system; and others facing a difficult transition to adulthood.
Worth Valley Young Farmers Club (WVYFC) is a voluntary, youth-led organization based in the rural Worth Valley region in Bradford that empowers young people who are rurally isolated to come together and develop their own social action campaigns and land art. The organization also engages young people, including boys and young men, in youth social action opportunities that matter to them including fundraising for local causes, creating social enterprise opportunities, and championing campaigns for local produce.
YOH is a locally led community group focused on supporting marginalized children and young people in and around Central and East London and parts of Essex. Using an award-winning approach, YOH engages young people that have slipped through the net of existing service provision and supports their transition to self-empowerment and positive outcomes. Its support ranges from providing essential supplies to employment access.
Global Fund for Children (GFC) UK Trust, created in 2006, is a UK registered charity (UK charity number 1119544). We work to generate vital income, create new fundraising opportunities, and raise awareness of the invaluable work of GFC’s grassroots grantees. Our aim is to extend the reach of GFC in the United Kingdom, Europe, and beyond.
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