2023 Tier 1 Ukraine Award Winner

Palladium’s recent work in Moldova, for the Data for Impact (D4I) project, implemented by the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partnership with Palladium International, LLC; ICF Macro, Inc.; John Snow, Inc.; and Tulane University and funded by USAID has focused on gathering high quality data and supporting the review and use of data to inform government decisions, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of Ukrainian refugees currently in Moldova and the host communities.

Two workstreams with positive results include:

First: As part of a D4I activity, Palladium engaged with Chisinau Municipality to conduct the mapping of needs of around 3,000 children and implement the ‘Help Me to Help You’ campaign which provided information to over 315,300 refugees and citizens hosting refugees in their homes on available municipal services they can access in Chisinau. Following the mapping, services provided by Chisinau Municipality were adapted and provided to address these needs. These included support for legal documentation and asylum application, medical services, educational services, child protection services, social assistance services and community services, including day care centers, extracurricular activities, camps and youth centers.

Impact of the campaign Help Me to Help You (May-August 2022) in figures: 50,610 humanitarian aid packages distributed, of which 27,923 packages provided to 6,193 families with 9,660 children (the number of distributed packages doubled since the start of the campaign); 1,998 refugees benefitted of hospital services and 9,140 refugees saw family doctors; 6,425 children received medical care (doubling the number since the start of the campaign); 468 pregnant women received medical assistance (three times more since the start of the campaign); 299 children were enrolled in kindergartens; 529 students were enrolled in educational institutions; 697 refugees registered at the library (one fifth increase since the start of the campaign); 2,107 young refugees benefited from the programs of Chisinau Municipal Youth Center (four times more than the ones before the campaign); number of employed refugees increased by a quarter as a result of the campaign.

Second: To support the institutionalization of data review and use processes at the level of decision making, Palladium established ‘Refugee Data Review Rooms’ in two locations in Moldova. The first of its kind in the country, Refugee Data Review Rooms allow decision makers’ access to data across disparate sources in one place so the data can be analyzed in real time for refugee surveillance and response. Palladium established these rooms, provided equipment, developed a guidance document, including practice standards for use of the rooms for data review and decision making, and provided training and mentoring to users. It has also facilitated regular data review meetings in these rooms with Moldovan stakeholders aimed at taking decisions for improving the well-being of Ukrainian refugees and better coordinating the volume of humanitarian assistance with the international response community.

Alexei Buzu, Minister of Labor and Social Protection, affirmed the value of the Data Review Room hosted in the ministry: “I am glad that this initiative is continuing, and I appreciate the support of our partners in helping us develop tools to increase social protection for vulnerable groups. The data generated will help us to better identify the needs of refugees, host communities, and citizens in difficult situations. It will also help us better plan our response actions. We will be there for those who need our support”.

About Palladium: Palladium is a global impact firm with nearly 60 years of experience linking social progress and commercial growth in over 90 countries. It aligns business interests with development objectives so that interventions are commercially viable, sustainable, inclusive, and address the root causes of today’s biggest challenges. Palladium has been working in Moldova since 2017, initially in USAID-funded projects, MEASURE Evaluation and currently on Data for Impact (D4I), and has in-depth knowledge of Moldova’s protection systems, working closely with the government and its partners to collect, analyze, and use data to positively impact vulnerable populations. The award recognizes the talented and dedicated in-country team of Palladium, who have been closely working with the Government of Moldova, USAID, civil society organizations and international response community to serve Ukrainian refugees in need of compassionate care and support.