Our Partnership

Since early 2022, shortly after war broke out in Ukraine, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) have partnered in groundbreaking and innovative ways to enhance support for people in Ukraine whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by the conflict.

From vital support for the IRC’s life-saving emergency response in Ukraine to a trailblazing digital cash pilot that has shifted the dial on how we think about the provision of cash assistance, SDF’s support, technology and knowledge have helped the IRC break new ground in the way we deliver our humanitarian response to achieve the greatest impact for people caught up in conflict and disaster.

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Critical Support for Ukraine

After war broke out in February 2022, SDF responded quickly to support the IRC's emergency response.

In the first year of war—which forced more than 18 million civilians from their homes, sparking the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II—support like this enabled the IRC to launch a vital response across the entire arc of crisis, from providing timely, life-saving assistance to those impacted by the conflict within Ukraine to supporting those fleeing through resettlement in countries around the world.

As of July 2023, with support from critical partners like SDF, the IRC has reached more than:

735,712

people with crucial information and empowerment support services

Our assistance focuses on helping women and other vulnerable individuals most at-risk of trafficking, sexual exploitation, intimate partner violence, or other abuses to access psychosocial, legal, and healthcare services.

369,755

with emergency cash assistance or with essential goods to support their survival with dignity and care

In Ukraine, the IRC issues one-time sums of $150 in multipurpose cash assistance to help families retain purchasing power to meet a wide range of urgent necessities, including health care, household and hygiene needs, fuel and electricity, transportation, or other survival essentials.

612,426

with direct services that support their safety, well-being and help secure their futures

In Ukraine, for example, to help children heal from the trauma of war, and with our partners, we are operating 10 Safe Healing and Learning Spaces in community centers and have delivered kits of toys, games, and activity books that have reached at least 25,656 children.

Groundbreaking Digital Cash Pilot

Between December 2022 and February 2023, SDF shared its powerful blockchain expertise with the IRC in a first-of-its-kind digital cash assistance pilot in Ukraine on the Stellar network.

The pilot used the Stellar Aid Assist model to send cash assistance in the form of stabilized digital dollars quickly and without cost to people grappling with the catastrophic economic effects of the war in Ukraine. Once the digital dollars were credited to a wallet on their smartphones, IRC clients were able to convert these to hard currency at a nearby cash agent via MoneyGram's cash payout off-ramp, offering:

  • Security of digitally storing funds
  • Flexibility to choose when and how much cash to collect
  • Protection against currency fluctuations and inflation
  • Transparency through end-to-end traceability of funds on a public ledger combined with organization-level controls
  • Portability with recipients benefiting from the ability to safely transport and access funds when they need them

 

How It Worked

 

Stellar Aid Assist Pilot at a Glance

Cash Assistance: a Lifeline for Olga

13 October 2022-Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Olga registers for a cash transfer program at a site on the outskirts of Mykolaiv.
Photo: Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi for the IRC

Olga, 57, lives in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, and has received cash assistance from the IRC. As the war in Ukraine escalated, her life was completely upended. She lost her job and became separated from close family members.

I want us to live like before, I want everything to end quickly. I want to help those who are worse off. I want to help people, the elderly, children, the unemployed. I think the more we help each other, the faster it will be over.

Driven to do something, she began to focus on cooking and providing food for those in need. She continues to volunteer today distributing bread for people in her city. But the war has taken a toll on Olga’s health, both mentally and physically. She believes her cancer has been exacerbated by “the stress, the nerves and the cold”. She plans to use the cash assistance she receives from the IRC to buy medicine. 

 

David Miliband

The IRC is committed to finding innovative solutions to the challenges faced by people impacted by humanitarian disasters. Our partnership with the Stellar Development Foundation enables the IRC to offer a new way for clients in Ukraine to receive much needed cash assistance, including the option to receive assistance in USD, which is essential in helping to rebuild their lives. This partnership will help the IRC better leverage new technologies to continue improving the effectiveness and efficiencies of our multipurpose cash programming.
-Commenting on the launch of the Stellar Aid Assist pilot

David Miliband
President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee

Looking forward

Thank you for your critical support for the people of Ukraine over the past 18 months, which has catalyzed breakthroughs in the way the IRC delivers its support as well as a life-saving response for the millions affected by the conflict.  

The IRC looks forward to continuing to collaborate with SDF to learn more about future iterations of Stellar Aid Assist and explore ways we can continue to work together to strengthen support for people whose lives and livelihoods have been shattered by conflict and disaster.