Since April 2024, Unite Together has been implementing an ongoing legal-information support project for Ukrainian refugees in Georgia, aimed 3at restoring access to Ukrainian state social benefits and strengthening long-term self-reliance. The initiative emerged directly from the organization’s practical work with displaced Ukrainians, where a recurring gap was identified between general humanitarian assistance and actual access to lawful social entitlements.

The project focuses on individuals who face administrative, legal, and digital barriers when trying to access their rights from abroad — particularly pensioners, parents of newborn children, and other vulnerable groups. While many beneficiaries remain formally eligible for Ukrainian social payments, access is often blocked by complex procedures, digital limitations, missing documentation, or difficulties with identity verification and banking systems.

Over time, Unite Together developed a structured legal-information and technical support model to address these challenges. This model is based on hands-on, case-by-case assistance and step-by-step guidance, often working directly with beneficiaries using their own devices to navigate Ukrainian systems and complete required procedures.

The current implementation builds on this experience and extends it to Batumi and the Adjara region, where the need is particularly acute. Despite hosting a large Ukrainian refugee population, Batumi lacks a Ukrainian diplomatic or consular presence, creating additional barriers for beneficiaries who require verification, documentation, or in-person clarification. As a result, refugees in this region are more dependent on remote and digital solutions, often without sufficient capacity to use them independently. Core areas of support include:

Individual legal-information consultations (in-person, remote, and home-based);

Group legal orientation sessions in Tbilisi and Batumi;

Assistance with pension restoration and first-time pension applications from abroad;

Support with childbirth allowances, survivor benefits, and utility subsidies;

Digital mediation (Diia access, electronic signatures, online banking recovery, administrative platforms); Coordination with the Ukrainian Consulate and relevant institutions to streamline procedures.

The project addresses a critical need in the current context, where humanitarian assistance is gradually decreasing and sustainable access to lawful income sources becomes increasingly important. By unlocking existing social entitlements rather than providing one-time aid, the initiative offers a cost-effective and durable solution that reduces financial vulnerability and supports long-term resilience. Beyond individual cases, the project contributes to strengthening trust in institutions, reducing stress among beneficiaries, and building a more structured, scalable model of access-to-rights support for displaced Ukrainians in Georgia.