Operators at the UNHCR Hotline answer 1,500 calls a day from people in need across Ukraine. Some 262,000 calls have been received since the start of the full-scale invasion.
“When the war started last February, it was a shock for my family and I, especially since we remember how in 2014, we had to leave our hometown – Luhansk – when the fighting began there. Back then, we stayed with our relatives for some time and then moved to Kyiv,” recalls Daryna Zakharova, Coordinator of the UNHCR Hotline.
In February 2022, recalling the events of 2014 when they had to flee, Daryna and her parents decided this time to stay in their village on the outskirts of Kyiv and support people affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. They were helping displaced people to find accommodation, clothes and food and to access information on IDP registration.
When Daryna, who was looking for a job, saw an ad for the UNHCR Hotline operator position, she thought this work would suit her. “I used to work on information projects before, and I was also running an online distance-learning school, so I had all the experience working with a hotline,” said Daryna. But most importantly, Daryna wanted to share her knowledge as an IDP in support of people who, just like her nine years ago, had to leave everything behind and flee for safety, and start their lives anew.
Daryna in the DonbasSOS office in Kyiv. © UNHCR/Victoria Andrievska
Daryna joined DonbasSOS NGO in April 2022 as an operator of the UNHCR Hotline. Within a few months, she was promoted to Hotline Coordinator and is now supervising a team of 40 people located in various areas across Ukraine responding to telephone calls and e-mail requests. The team comprises 35 women and 5 men from different backgrounds – social workers, teachers, bankers, financiers, translators, technicians, managers, and actors. Three members of the team are living with a disability.
More than half of the operators are internally displaced people, including seven who have been displaced twice. This diverse team can respond to any query in solidarity with the people they are assisting. “The majority of our operators are displaced people, just like me. They have a good understanding of IDP needs. Also, they work in all oblasts of Ukraine which gives them a very good sense of the situation in each oblast and access to information about local support projects for war-affected and displaced people.”
“Our hotline team are superhumans” – smiles Daryna. “We were called so by a hotline expert who recently conducted a training for operators and who was surprised by the amount of information we know and remember.” To keep abreast of all relevant information, each operator has access to the hotline’s “Wikipedia” – a regularly updated UNHCR database with information about the projects, as well as a list of the state and non-state actors who can support people in need.
Iryna, who joined the hotline in June 2022 as an operator, says that most of the calls received concern the UNHCR multi-purpose cash programme – about the eligibility criteria and places to enroll. Some calls are about protection issues – legal consultations about missing documents, or inquiries regarding the registration of IDPs. Most people make calls to the hotline telephone number, and some send e-mails. Some 57% of callers are displaced people, and about 30% are those who stayed in their villages and whose homes were damaged or destroyed because of the war. A quarter of those who call are older people. The hotline also responds to queries sent by email. Since the start of the war the operators have answered more than 100,000 e-mails.
Iryna recalls that it was initially difficult to take calls from people experiencing severe emotional distress and in very difficult situations – those who lost their loved ones, or whose homes were destroyed due to the fighting. After receiving psychological first aid training, she learned how to manage her emotions and how to focus on finding a solution. She says it is very rewarding when she receives a positive message or a call from people who were able to get the support they needed.
© UNHCR/Victoria Andrievska
Daryna, who studied psychology, says that for many people the hotline provides not only an important information source but also a means to relieve stress. “When people call us, they receive consultations or advice in a very calm and polite way. We are listening to them attentively, and they feel they are not alone in their situation,” explains Daryna.
The Donbas SOS hotline was established in 2014 to provide assistance to conflict-affected people. Operators advised people on evacuation, humanitarian aid, and legal and social issues. The hotline works even now, and the geography of assistance has now expanded to the entire country. In 2019, the Donbas SOS became a partner of the UNHCR and began to coordinate the UNHCR hotline. Hotline operators provided accessible and timely information to war-affected people living in the east of Ukraine, refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons, and the hotline served as a feedback mechanism for filing complaints about the activities of UNHCR and its partners in the east.
Daryna and Iryna joined UNHCR Hotline in 2022. © UNHCR/Victoria Andrievska
In 2022, the situation in the country has changed significantly, and the number of operators has increased to meet the needs of internally displaced persons and war-affected people seeking information.
UNHCR’s hotline is free. The number is 0-800-307-711 and is open during workdays from 9:00 to 18:00. E-mail requests can be sent to [email protected].
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