Scott Lang, Regional Manager of the United States Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), visited Vilnius to discuss the needs of war refugees from Ukraine and further assistance with Eitvydas Bingelis, Head of the Vilnius Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM Lithuania). "PRM is our biggest supporter and thanks to this funding IOM Lithuania is helping Ukrainians to integrate in our country: we organise Lithuanian language courses, provide financial assistance, and fund psychological therapies.  In total, we have already helped more than 17,000 Ukrainians," said E. Bingelis, Head of IOM Lithuania.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of war refugees have been looking for a new safe home and a fresh start in life, and were in dire need of financial support at first.
"The basic needs of Ukrainians have remained largely unchanged over the last 2.5 years, with financial stability and employment being the most important things for people. However, we are seeing a growing need to learn Lithuanian. 62% of Ukrainians cite the language barrier as one of the main obstacles to finding a job. Obviously, the longer Ukrainians live in Lithuania, the more they need to integrate and pursue their goals here, and language is one of the key things. And while in the first half of last year, only 8% of respondents talked about the need to learn Lithuanian, this year the number has increased to 43%. So PRM funding is very important for us when it comes to further activities", says Bingelis. 
The United States is the largest provider of assistance to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine,  in Central Europe and the Baltic States. Since the beginning of the war, IOM Lithuania has received a total of 1.75 million USA dollars.