SAFE Project
The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) has expanded the Voices of Ukraine project into the Support and Assistance for Free Expression (SAFE) project. It provides urgent support to media facing threats and challenges across the Eastern Partnership region.
SAFE project is designed to assist journalists and media workers in the region to ensure the sustained flow of trustworthy, reliable reporting that is essential for public access to information and democratic resilience. The priority is to help journalists remain and report from within their home countries, and provide relocation options when circumstances demand it.
If you are a journalist, a media worker, or a media outlet from one of the Eastern Partnership countries actively recognised by the European Commission, read on to find out how we can help.
Who we support
Support is open to journalists, media workers and media outlets who contribute to independent media from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Available funds
SAFE provides different types of financial support tailored to the challenges journalists and media workers face. Explore the available funds below to find the support that best matches your situation.
If you face crises, including the loss or destruction of professional equipment, medical emergencies, or direct threats to your safety, this fund provides financial assistance.
Working in conflict zones or in hostile environments takes a serious emotional toll. This fund covers the cost of mental health support. You choose your own care provider. We cover the costs.
Working in high-risk environments requires specific skills. This fund covers the cost of training you identify as a priority, tailored to your safety, security, or professional needs, so you can keep reporting. Apply here.
Get additional support through our partners
Media professionals in Ukraine can also access specialised support through our network:
Emergency grants by the Public Interest Journalism Lab, PIJL
A grant program distributed through several open calls per year, providing emergency and operational funding to Ukrainian regional media outlets and individual journalists, prioritizing newsrooms near the frontline.
Technology Support Fund by The Fix Media Foundation
An equipment grant scheme distributed through several open calls per year, replacing lost or outdated gear (laptops, cameras, power banks, generators, communication devices) for journalists working in frontline or high-risk areas, ensuring they can keep reporting safely.
HEFAT(Hostile Environment and Emergency First Aid Training) by the Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine, AIRPPU
One-day training sessions teaching reporters, photographers, and fixers first aid, tactical survival, and situational awareness for high-risk assignments, paired with individual first aid kits.
Insurance for journalists on the front line by the Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine, AIRPPU
Emergency insurance coverage for journalists and media workers traveling to frontline, protecting them financially in case of injury or emergency.
Special support for journalists by the Women in Media, WiM
A package for women media professionals combining health check-up stipends and psychotherapist-led peer support groups for emotional resilience.
Short-Term-Residence in Ukraine by the Lviv Media Forum
Eight-day retreats in regions farther from active hostilities of Ukraine offering Ukrainian journalists rest, therapy, and peer connection to recover from burnout and trauma caused by frontline reporting.
Journalist-in-Residence (JiR) Kosovo by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, AJK
A relocation and reintegration program for Ukrainian journalists who fled the war, run by the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, providing housing, legal and medical support, mentorship, and professional reintegration opportunities.
SAFE is run by ECPMF as part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office
Contact
In case of questions, please contact us at safe[at]ecpmf.eu
Related news
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