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The Human Safety Net & Generali join effort for Ukraine (2)

Discover more about the Blue Dots and how they ensure safety to thousands of children and families escaping from Ukraine every day.

One of the most visible ways that we are supporting Ukrainian refugees is the network of Blue Dots, established jointly with UNICEF and UNHCR, that create safe spaces for thousands of children and families every day.

The war in Ukraine has entered its third month and continues to exacerbate a massive humanitarian crisis, in particular causing a huge wave of refugees fleeing the conflict. 


More than 5.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine (source: UNHCR as of May 6, 2022) and, of these 2.25 million are children in need of hosting countries.

The Blue Dots are welcoming spaces providing support and protection for children and families.
They are located along major escape routes and at refugee registration sites or reception facilities.
They offer children a safe and welcoming space to rest, play or just to be a child. 

Twenty-three Blue Dots have been established (with 14 of these supported by THSN & Generali), providing more than 11,500 children and their mothers with access to a safe space every day.

 

Inside a Blue Dot with Yulia Yurova, UNICEF volunteer at the Blue Dots in Isaccea (Romania)

The Blue Dots also register children who are traveling on their own and connect them to specialist protection services, as well as offering referral services to women, including for support around gender-based violence.

Map of Blue Dots from UNICEF

Discover more about the Blue Dots from in this video from UNCHR 

C.A.T.T.I.A. is part of a network of Blue Dot hubs, refugee support centers set up by UNICEF and UNHCR, in coordination with local authorities and partners, along key transit routes as the first point of contact and services for children and families, including those fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The hub provides refugees with temporary lodging, meals, travel information, emotional support and other services, including a cheerful playroom for children, outfitted with colorful child-size furniture, toys and art supplies. It is open 24 hours a day, and is designed to hold a maximum of 500 people. It is also equipped with a medical examination room stocked with essential medicines.

Besides its permanent staff, the running of C.A.T.T.I.A. relies on the service of young volunteers – a total of 60 are currently engaged with the center, working four-hour shifts each. An app has also been created to aid with better structuring and assigning of tasks between these volunteers.

 

Children in an activity room in the Centrul de Afaceri, Transfer Tehnologic si Incubator de Afaceri (C.A.T.T.I.A) in Brasov, Romania.

Source of videos, pictures and data are UNICEF and UNHCR.