site.btaBlue Dot Hubs Opened to Assist Ukrainian Refugees

A Blue Dot hub was opened by UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Bulgaria in partnership with the Bulgarian Red Cross, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and the Council of Refugee Women in Bulgaria and representatives of the refugee community, organizers said, The space, provided by the Bulgarian Red Cross, is located at its headquarters in Sofia and was unveiled by Deputy Prime Minister Kalina Konstatinova.

The Blue Dot Hubs are safe spaces for protection and basic services that are opened in countries hosting Ukrainian refuges including Poland, Romania and Moldova. They provide information, legal advice and psychological support, as well as referral services for children, women, families and other groups who are faced with higher risk exposure.

The Blue Dot Hubs complement the support provided by national governments and are established in coordination with the authorities and other partners along key transit routes and destinations in order to help children and families in need.

Two Blue Dot hubs have already been opened at the crisis centre at Sofia’s Central Railway Station and at the border crossing at Durankulak, where refugees can receive legal, social and psychological assistance. 

Bulgaria has received over 102,000 Ukrainian refugees who are staying in the country. Four in ten Ukrainian refugees are children. Bulgaria leads Europe in the terms of the proportion of temporary protection registrations. 

The UN agencies plan to open more centres at the border crossing in Rousse as well as in Varna and Burgas in the coming weeks.