Challenges faced by volunteers in their work with Ukrainian war refugees

Volonteri igraju ključnu ulogu u širokom spektru društvenih područja. Njihov doprinos zajednici često je neprocjenjiv, posebno u situacijama krize i hitnosti kao što su prirodne katastrofe, ratovi i druge izvanredne situacije. Istraživanje o njihovom radu pomaže u razumijevanju njihovog doprinosa društvu i identificiranju izazova s kojima se suočavaju. Ovaj rad na temu izazova volontera u radu s ukrajniskim ratnim izbjeglicama ima za cilj istražiti iskustva volontera u radu s izbjeglicama, uključujući organizaciju koja pruža volontiranje te obilježja volonterskog rada s izbjeglicama. Provedeno je kvalitativno istraživanje korištenjem polustrukturiranog intervjua kao metode prikupljanja podataka, a za obradu podataka korištena je tehnika tematske analize. U radu su analizirane kategorije i pojmovi unutar dvije teme: organizacija volontiranja i obilježja volonterskog rada s izbjeglicama. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da postoje brojni izazovi s kojima se volonteri susreću u radu s ukrajinskim ratnim izbjeglicama. Ipak, istraživanje naglašava važnost volonterskog rada u pružanju podrške izbjeglicama te ističe volontere kao ključne aktere u prepoznavanju potreba i rješavanju problema s kojima se izbjeglice suočavaju. Pružanjem informacija i osnaživanjem u ključnim aspektima njihovog životnog konteksta, volonteri pomažu izbjeglicama u procesu prilagodbe u novoj sredini te na taj način osiguravaju bolje uvjete za njihov život.
Volunteers play a key role in a wide range of social areas. Their contribution to the community is often invaluable, especially in situations of crisis and emergency such as natural disasters, wars and other emergencies. Researching their work helps in understanding their contribution to society and identifying the challenges they face. The topic of this work is the challenges of volunteers in working with Ukrainian war refugees and its aim is to investigate the experiences of volunteers in working with refugees, including the organization that provides volunteering and the characteristics of volunteer work with refugees. Qualitative research was conducted using a semi-structured interview as a data collection method, and thematic analysis technique was used for data processing. The paper analyzed categories and terms within two topics: organization of volunteering and characteristics of volunteer work with refugees. The results of the research show that there are numerous challenges that volunteers face when working with Ukrainian war refugees. Nevertheless, the research emphasizes the importance of volunteer work in providing support to refugees and highlights volunteers as key actors in identifying the needs and solving the problems refugees face. By providing information and empowerment in key aspects of their life context, volunteers help refugees in the process of adaptation in a new environment and thus ensure better conditions for their life.