Important engagements continue during Voice of Romni’s advocacy visit to New York.

Anzhelika Bielova, President of Voice of Romni, met with representatives of ACT Alliance and Oxfam — partners who support our efforts to ensure that the voices of vulnerable communities are heard internationally. At the invitation of the organizations, Anzhelika visited their offices in New York.

These meetings are particularly important for our organization. Both ACT Alliance and Oxfam bring extensive experience of working with communities and responding to humanitarian and social challenges around the world. ACT Alliance brings together more than 160 organizations across 120 countries working on humanitarian assistance, gender and climate justice, migration and displacement, peace and security. Supporting local communities and responding to humanitarian needs are an important part of their work — approaches that are also central to Voice of Romni’s work.

During the meeting, Anzhelika spoke about Voice of Romni’s work in Ukraine during the full-scale war. For us, it is important to combine humanitarian assistance with long-term programmes focused on support, education and development. This approach helps people not only respond to the immediate consequences of a crisis, but also strengthen their capacities, increase their financial independence and build more sustainable futures.

A separate meeting took place with Oxfam, a strategic partner of Voice of Romni. For almost four years, Oxfam has supported our organizational development and advocacy work, while also contributing to programmes that provide support to vulnerable groups affected by the war in Ukraine.

During the visit, Anzhelika Bielova met with Abby Maxman, President and CEO of Oxfam America. We value Oxfam’s support in creating opportunities for our organization to participate in important international platforms and be present in spaces where decisions affecting people’s lives are discussed. During this visit, Anzhelika Bielova is taking part in a series of meetings in New York to share the experiences of Ukrainian communities and build new partnerships.

For us, it is important that the voices of Roma communities, internally displaced people, residents of frontline areas and other vulnerable groups are heard not only in Ukraine, but also internationally. Partnerships with organizations such as Oxfam help us be present where decisions are made, speak about people’s real needs and contribute to shaping how support is designed and delivered.

During the meeting, Anzhelika also gave an interview for Oxfam’s social media campaign, “Just Be Human.” It is important to us that the challenges faced by vulnerable groups, including Roma communities, internally displaced people, residents of frontline areas of Ukraine and others, remain visible internationally. Their needs should be taken into account when support is being planned, and community representatives should have the opportunity to influence decisions that affect their lives.

We thank ACT Alliance and Oxfam for the meaningful dialogue, their interest in Voice of Romni’s work and their continued support.