On Tuesday, May 2, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center presented the “Taking Care about IDPs“(Turbota) chatbot, which included all the necessary information for internally displaced persons, in particular, from among the indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine.
Speakers were:
Eskender Bariiev – Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people;
Koshelenko Kostiantyn — Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for digital development, digital transformations and digitalization.
Ihor Lossovskyy – Deputy Chairman of SEFC;
Tetiana Podvorniak – communications manager for the Crimean Tatar Resource Center.
During the press conference, the speakers noted that now the problem of IDPs remains very relevant. It is very important to facilitate their integration into new communities and help them adjust to new conditions.
“Unfortunately, the number of IDPs is increasing daily as hostilities continue. Every person who has been forced to leave their home and moved to an unfamiliar place faces incredible stress, as well as a number of problems, including maintaining their identity in a new area. The CTRC team found a way to help people who were forced to leave their homes”,- said Eskender Bariiev.
Tetiana Podvorniak presented the Taking Care about IDPs chatbot, which will help meet the basic needs of everyone, and in addition, preserve their identity for representatives of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine and national minorities. This assistant will provide the necessary information:
- How to get IDP status?
- Where can I find housing?
- How to find places of worship?
- How to get a new job?
- How to get humanitarian aid?
- How to find stores with special needs? (halal, kosher, vegetarian)
“So far, our chatbot covers 4 major cities: Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk. However, in the future, we plan to spread the geography and add even more important information that IDPs may need”,-Podvorniak said.
Kostiantyn Koshelenko noted that the creation of convenient digital services for Ukrainians is very important, because it allows them to quickly, remotely navigate in a new city.
“It is important that the chatbot is in the messenger and the person does not need to install new applications. Not only the information provided is important, but also its content and quality. The Crimean Tatar Resource Center is a source of expertise and advice for people, including IDPs who have recently moved to a new city”,- he added.
Ihor Lossovskyy emphasized that the chatbot included all the important information for IDPs in the context of preserving the identity of indigenous peoples and national minorities and thanked the entire CTRC team for the work done.
This project was conducted by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center as part of its project implemented under the USAID/ENGAGE activity, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Pact. The contents of this presentation are the sole responsibility of Pact and its implementing partners and do not necessary reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.