Volunteers Tbilisi (VT) is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Ukrainian refugees and people in crisis throughout Georgia. The organization offers food, medication, legal assistance, temporary housing, and a variety of other services to displaced Ukrainians. Their multi-faceted approach not only addresses immediate needs but also aims to increase the self-sufficiency and social integration of refugees. Originally a Russian-Ukrainian initiative, and a manifestation of civil society in exile, Ukrainian refugees themselves volunteer for the organization. Funded through individual donations, grants and merchandising revenue, VT foregrounds financial transparency via monthly reports on social media and seeks community involvement in its funding model. All raised funds are spent on humanitarian needs while the operations themselves are performed by hundreds of volunteers for free. The organization actively engages the community through its vast network of volunteers, some of them working online from all over the world, collaborations with local organizations and businesses, fundraising and awareness-raising events.
Theory of Change
Mobilizing a broad base of volunteers and fostering cross-border solidarity creates a resilient society that ensures sustained, community-driven support. Thereby creating the space for upholding and promoting human rights standards.
Activities
In the operational chain, volunteers are involved in food distribution, hot line support, organizing workshops, and running social media accounts. They distribute humanitarian aid weekly to Ukrainians, ensuring targeted and efficient delivery of essentials like food, medication, baby care and hygiene products. Aid is also delivered to Georgian villages near conflict borders (territories occupied by Russia). The VT hotline provides crisis assistance, helping refugees with crossing borders, and connecting individuals to authorities. VT offers temporary accommodation, helps find healthcare, and helps to find employment through a large volunteer network. VT has also collaborated with a local activist group to open the Social Dinery in Tbilisi for Georgians in need, which provides lunch daily.
Results
Over 30,000 individuals have received aid from the initiative; monthly, the organization delivers aid to more than 5,000 people, conducts around 300 hotline consultations, and serves approximately 3,500 visitors at the Social Dinery. Monthly, 1 ton of humanitarian aid is transported to remote villages and about 100 people receive housing support through VT, providing stability and safety for the vulnerable. The project has grown from a small group of activists to an organization with 300 active volunteers and more than 6,000 followers on Instagram and 1,000 on Facebook. Finally, VT is supported and featured by Russian anti-war and Ukrainian celebrities on their social networks and at concerts.
