Inside the Grassroots Movement: The Reality of How NGO Support for Ukrainian Refugees Has Evolved

As part of their work for Projects for Peace, Nataliya Layer, Anja Ree, Liana Moldovanu, and Lydia Miller traveled to Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Moldova, interviewing and documenting the work of the NGOs providing critical support to Ukrainian refugees. Their interviews revealed several important patterns, such as grant control by international organizations, the impact of war fatigue on donations, and the overall declining support for the humanitarian effort focused on supporting Ukrainian refugees. Please join us for this event to hear their perspectives fresh from the field.

Speakers:

Nataliya Layer is a second-year International Affairs major with a Psychology minor at the Elliot School of International Affairs. She specializes in conflict resolution and has worked as a research assistant for IERES and interned at the ECDC refugee resettlement agency. Her research interests include the Eastern Europe Region, the Russia-Ukraine War, and refugee policy.

Liana Moldovanu is a second-year student at the Elliott School of International Affairs. She is currently planning on double majoring in International Affairs and Mathematics, and is also considering minors in Economics and Spanish. Liana previously worked as a research assistant for Professor Orttung at the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian studies, and she is currently planning to continue to pursue research topics inspired by her Romanian background.

Anja Ree is a second-year student in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Science and minoring in Law and Society. Anja has previously worked for the Institute of European, Russian, and Eurasian at the Elliott School and hopes to continue research relating to her Ukrainian background over the next two years. She is currently focused on constitutional law and plans to attend law school once she graduates.

Lydia Miller is a senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs, where she is pursuing a double major in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Policy and Political Science, complemented with a minor in Naval Science. Her extensive professional experience includes roles with the United States Senate, the Institute for the Study of War, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense. She is set to commission into the U.S. Navy this May.