Refugee Protection International | Enabling Dignity in Displacement with Refugee-Led Partners on the Front Lines

Health and Education
August-September 2023 updates: More medical equipment reaches Ukrainian hospitals serving war-injured civilians. In total, RPI staff, volunteers & community partners have driven from Romania into Ukraine with aid for 7 medical institutions (children’s, maternity, regional) and completed Ukrainian-run newborn medical evacuations. RPI has also renewed support for partner-run community management of acute malnutrition in northern Syria and non-formal primary education for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Some 80,000 people in earthquake-affected communities on the Syrian-Turkish border are being aided this year thanks to our generous supporters.

Protection and Self-Reliance
Through its community-led partners, RPI’s earthquake program has distributed ready to eat meals and winter clothing to over 10,025 Turkish & Syrian survivors in southeast Turkey and northwest Syria. In Ukraine, RPI staff and volunteers drive cross-border relief aid to displaced orphans, children with disabilities, and community-run evacuations and art therapy. RPI co-designs and supports self-reliance projects for displaced Syrian women and civil documentation support to their children. RPI sells refugee-made crafts to expand humanitarian cash-for-work and skills training. A special thank you to shoppers at Boston’s Greenway Artisan Market this May-October. Look out for RPI at Boston’s Holiday Market in Snowport and Mohegan Sun’s New England Christmas Festival!

Shelter Conditions
RPI & refugee-led partners have assisted 2,167 earthquake survivors in Syria and Turkey with emergency shelter materials (tents, blankets). In Ukraine, RPI staff and volunteers drive aid to shelters for displaced civilians, subsidizes rent for displaced orphans in foster care, and aids victims of war-damaged housing with community partners. In northern Syria, RPI supports refugee-led partners to heat & insulate informal camps. RPI has co-designed projects upgrading urban housing for IDPs and subsidized rent for refugees.

The Impact of Our Collaboration with Refugee-Led & Grassroots Partners

Media Gallery of Projects with Our Refugee-Led Partners

Quotes from our Supporting Partners

“We are amazed by all the work your organization is doing and happy to support your efforts,” MathWorks Inc on its $77,255 corporate & employee giving to RPI’s Syria-Turkey earthquake relief, 2023.
"Everyone is incredibly moved by RPI’s efforts [in Ukraine]," American Securities Foundation, our longtime giving partner donating $250,000 to RPI in 2022.
“We are delighted to partner with you on this project and inspired by the scope and depth of your work with Syrian refugees in Lebanon.” Together Women Rise (Dining for Women), $50,000 grant to RPI, 2020
“We are honored to provide you with this grant and express our sincere gratitude for the work you are doing to create livelihood opportunities for urban refugees.”New England International Donors Giving Circle on Refugees, 2019 Grant Award
“American Securities is pleased with the outcome of the project and continues to support RPI and MAPS in 2019 as they implement similar programs at refugee settlements in Lebanon,” Managing Director & CEO, American Securities 2018 Giving Back Report
“I’ve just read the report about the medical cases and am so impressed by this super efficient and straightforward aid. This is exactly how I like to support people!” - Individual Supporter, 2019
“Thank you for your incredible work. We are impressed by how comprehensive your program is with Kids Paradise. We are all so proud to support your extraordinary work.” Institutional Supporter, 2019
"It was so wonderful having you speak. We were really impressed with your talk and we're so glad you are connected to our community,” Institutional Supporter, 2019
“It is amazing to see the impact of this short-term campaign and how many lives it saved. Unfortunately, the need continues to exist but definitely with organizations like yours providing such valuable support we are confident that those civilians won’t be forgotten.” Corporate Supporter, 2017
“…Amazing and inspiring… I feel so grateful for the opportunity to hear you speak and to support your organization.” Individual Supporter, 2018
“We are happy to continue to support MAPS/RPI’s excellent work.” Supporter, 2017
“You both spoke with passion, vivid descriptions, and commitment to creating a compassionate and caring world. May everyone there tonight feel inspired to act in small and big ways over time to support refugees. Thank you for the beautiful work you both do in the world!” Individual supporter, 2018

Our Refugee-Led Implementing Partners

Ukrainian Children's & Maternity Hospitals & IDP Shelters Since March 2022, RPI has bought and delivered medical equipment, medicines, and supplies to 6 Ukrainian hospitals serving war-affected women and children and supported 2 other medical centers to evacuate surrogate newborns to the Romanian border. Partner hospitals include the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernivtsi, Regional and City Perinatal Centers in Chernivtsi and Kherson, BSMU, BioTexCom and Dobrobut Medical Center. RPI staff's latest visit to war-damaged hospitals in Kherson was on Jan. 26th to the sound of artillery fire and reports of 55 missiles and 24 drones launched at Ukraine. RPI is humbled by the bravery of these hospitals. RPI also sends clothing, blankets, and hygiene items to Ukrainian schools and dorms that have sheltered thousands of displaced persons.

Happy Child Foundation In spring 2022, RPI staff and Ukrainian partner nonprofit Happy Child delivered aid to 2 shelters for internally displaced persons in southeast Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine and equipped independent volunteers to evacuate civilians from Polohy and other frontline villages. RPI and Happy Child launched a program to support victims of war-damaged housing in Komyshuvakha after visiting the site just a day after it was hit by rockets. RPI also collaborates with Happy Child to provide winter generators, kitchen equipment and food to the Ukrainian community shelter. Happy Child has supported cancer patients and other highly vulnerable children in the Zaporizhzhia region since 2004.

RPI delivers aid to Kherson, Ukraine with community partner "Orlivka Logistic Center for Humanitarian Aid” Based in Ukraine's Odessa region, this NGO was founded by the Reni Association of Entrepreneurs in 2022 to respond to the war's humanitarian crisis. RPI equipped its partner with a minibus and fuel to evacuate civilians and deliver relief aid to Kherson and Mykolaiv. RPI staff with Romanian volunteers do cross-border aid deliveries to this partner's border tent for displaced Ukrainians. RPI staff most recently brought surgical and neonatal equipment to the only 24/7 emergency children's hospital in Kherson (the Regional Children's Clinical Hospital) with this partner's accompaniment.

Bright Kids Charity is a humanitarian nonprofit based in Kyiv, Ukraine. In March 2022, RPI helped Bright Kids to expand cash assistance to war-displaced families providing home-based care to children with disabilities.

Odessa Charity “Way Home” has supported socially vulnerable women and children in Ukraine since 1996. RPI equipped this humanitarian non-profit partner with a minibus and full support to evacuate over 2,000 civilians from the southern frontline of the war in Mykolaiv - Kherson. RPI is selling pottery made by displaced and vulnerable Ukrainian children to expand the Way Home’s art therapy and pottery training classes to war-displaced mothers & GBV survivors with no other income.

Launched in 2012, Basmeh and Zeitooneh delivers humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees and conflict-affected civilians in Lebanon, Turkey and Syria, with a focus on women and children. This NGO is registered in Lebanon and Turkey.

Basmeh and Zeitooneh

Olive Branch has delivered education, protection, women's empowerment and livelihoods support to hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons and local civilians in Syria since 2012. This humanitarian non-profit is in headquartered in Turkey with additional offices in Lebanon, Jordan, and Germany.

Olive Branch

The Sustainable International Medical Relief Organization was established by a group of Syrian doctors in 2014. Registered in Turkey, SIMRO implements strategic medical relief projects in Syria.

Multi Aid Programs was set-up by a Syrian neurosurgeon. Registered in Lebanon by 2016, MAPS has provided over 500,000 Syrian refugees and locals in Lebanon with non-formal education, health care, continuing education, community service, and relief items.

The Union of Relief and Development Associations (URDA) seeks to be an influential reference for humanitarian work in Lebanon and the leading umbrella for grassroots initiatives with sustainable capabilities working professionally to develop the society under international standards.

Kids Paradise Organization implements projects in Turkey and Syria focused on food security and livelihoods, urgent response, shelter, protection, non-food items, water and sanitation. Founded by a group of Syrian volunteers in 2012, Kids Paradise was registered as an NGO in Turkey in 2016.