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The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, forced millions of Ukrainians to leave their homes. Until 2 May 2022, 1.07 million registered for Temporary Protection in Poland, the highest number among the EU countries. 94.8% of them were women, children and older people.
In the initial phase of the response, the provision of unconditional multi-purpose cash assistance aimed to support refugees arriving from Ukraine to meet their immediate basic needs in Poland. Later on, however, a more targeted cash assistance for most vulnerable refugees - and in particular those with limited access to the labor market due to age, disability or caring responsibilities - became more needed.
In May 2022, the Polish Center for International Aid Foundation (PCPM), in partnership with International Rescue Committee and CARE International in Poland, launched a cash assistance program for the most vulnerable Ukrainian refugees, which was later expanded thanks to financial support of HelpAge and the Taiwan Government.
The Targeted Cash Assistance Program (TCAP) started in May 2022 and provided cash--based assistance to Ukrainian refugees who met at least one of the eligibility criteria, i.e., have a disability, are over 60-years-old or are a legal caretaker of a person with a disability.
Since May, 7,656 individuals (from 5401 households) were registered for the program. 48% of them were persons with disabilities, 30% were people 60-years-old or above, and 22% were legal caretakers of person(s) with disability.
Every person enrolled in the program received cash assistance for the period of six months and in the amount of 710 PLN. Among all the registered households, 42% received cash assistance from HelpAge, 36% from International Rescue Committee, 19% from CARE International in Poland, and 3% from the Taiwan Government.
To understand the changing socioeconomic situation of refugees supported through the program, PCPM conducted three surveys on a representative sample of beneficiaries. The questionnaires were conducted at registration (baseline survey: 520 respondents), 2-3 months after the registration (mid-term survey: 637 respondents), and 5-6 months after the registration (endline survey: 358 respondents).