UNITED FOR U

About us

United for U (U4U) is an international “CrowdCaring” NGO, offering help to people in emergencies, including refugees from conflict and natural disaster zones such as Afghanistan, DRC, Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, Pakistan, Turkey, Morocco, Yemen, and many others. From critical assistance to full integration into host society

U4U is registered as an association under the Laws of Switzerland (REG number 1-2MI0MX), with activities in Switzerland and across Europe.  Among other things, it is a member of the Task Force led by Hospice General in the Canton of Geneva, a partner of l’EVAM in the Canton de Vaud, a participant of the Microsoft Non-Profit Hub, and a member of the EU Space Agency Humanitarian Platform.  It is formally recognized as an international NGO by Geneve Internationale.  

Our unique CrowdCaring method provides a direct volunteer-refugee conversation and a needs-resources connection. This is a state-of-the-art technical solution for our fundamental concept of decentralization and empowerment.

U4U does not pursue any political, ideological or religious goals, nor any collective or individual interests. It is established as a neutral humanitarian entity, mandated to assist all persons in urgent need of assistance, without any discrimination on any basis whatsoever.

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  • Provide end-to-end 24/7 support, from critical first response to full integration into the host society
  • Foster direct relationships between volunteers and beneficiaries, as well as the host society
  • Focus on the most vulnerable, including women, children, elderly and handicapped people
  • Engage refugees and other beneficiaries of our support as volunteers and professionals to foster community-building, self-help, resilience and integration
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  • Neutral Mandate that is not limited to any particular state, political party, collective or private interest, or situation. Our members, partners, volunteers, hosts, and beneficiaries can be reassured by our independence and competence.
  • Decentralized Humanitarian Aid as the fundamental principle of U4U’s wok, with volunteers creating direct connections and relationships with refugees and other people in need, as well as the host society.
  • Unique CrowdCaring method, which allows us to create a direct volunteer-refugee conversation and a needs-resources connection:
    • Unique Programme of Guardian Volunteers, who create a vital cultural, linguistic and personal link between refugees and the host society. It allows our bilingual and multilingual volunteers to support the hosting families and refugees in building a good understanding between each other and ensure their amicable living together. Our volunteers accompany refugees and help them along the difficult journey even before their arrival.
    • Curated Refugee-Host Matching platform for those seeking shelter. Before the state refugee housing systems were set up for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict in early 2022, we were the first and only iNGO to run such a platform. We have designed and developed the concept of “host family” (famille d’acceuil) in Euorpe. This is not a simple online tool, leaving refugees to find hosts themselves, which can be very unsafe if not monitored correctly. We accompany refugees before their arrival all the way to the host, with whom we first established a direct relationship.   
  • Active Engagement of Refugees and Other Beneficiaries as our volunteers or management team members, which helps community-building, healing, resilience and integration. We are managing a pool of hand-picked multilingual talent, training and on-boarding new team members every day.

Our results

We have achieved substantial results with limited resources:

+24

refugee families

successfully placed with hosts in Switzerland, France, and other European countries by our Matching Volunteers

+890

families (refugee + host)

supported with translation, administrative and other needs by our Guardian Volunteers in Switzerland and Europe

+4600

volunteers (including 250 refugees)

mobilized in Switzerland, the European Union, Ukraine, and the US

+3900

refugees

helped with critical needs, including shelter, food, medical aid and mental support

+100

orphans

evacuated from Ukraine to Switzerland, under the supervision, and in close collaboration with, the Swiss authorities and the Embassy of Ukraine to Switzerland

Our Team

We are a multilingual, diverse team of experts, including Syrian, Ukrainian, Pakistani, Afghan and Turkish refugees. We ensure a cultural, linguistic and professional link between the European audience and those in critical need of humanitarian aid.

Together, we combine unique expertise in human rights, medical support, education, childcare, public advocacy, art therapy, engineering, refugee protection, traumatic disorders, mental health, social services, specialized support for children with special needs, nuclear physics, UN affairs, software development, financial management, art therapy, and innovative financing, among others. Our core team speaks 28 languages!

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