nearby villages are providing accommodation for Roma. Due to the presence of groups like ours, and state representatives, the situation with discrimination is getting better,” said Racz. “There is a good network of Roma activist groups coordinating work to help refugees and also there are Roma mayors in many towns near the borders in Romania and Slovakia who are prepared to take Roma refugees and arrange shelter for them,” added Jovanovic. However, all those who spoke to IPS said the discrimination against Roma refugees was a reminder of the systemic prejudice the minority faces. Meanwhile, Jovanovic said he hoped that the problems Roma refugees were facing now would not be forgotten, as they had been in the past." UN OCHA – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ukraine: Humanitarian Impact Situation Report (As of 3:00 p.m. (EET), 3 March 2022), 3 March 2022 "The situation of third country nationals from countries in Africa and South Asia and other ethnic minority groups in Ukraine, including the Roma population, is particularly concerning, as there have been numerous reports of discrimination and even violence against these vulnerable groups. The Roma population lack civil status documents, limiting access to critical services, including education and health, and potentially humanitarian assistance as many Roman internally displaced people were not registered prior to the current escalation in conflict." UNICEF, How UNICEF is helping to prevent COVID-19 in Roma communities, 13 January 2021 "Roma families in Ukraine have been particularly vulnerable due to limited access to hygiene products, clean water and electricity, as well as a high poverty rate. The Roma settlement in the village of Kholmok is home to around 700 people. Similar settlements, which the Roma people call ‘tabors’ (camps), are located throughout the Zakarpattia region. The Roma are the fifth largest national minority in this region, with estimates ranging from 80,000 to 150,000 since not all possess passports and birth certificates. “Many people in our tabor work at a garment factory, many sweep the streets, work as janitors, but most are unemployed,” says Angela, who lives in a Roma settlement in one of the districts of Uzhhorod. She has four children and, together with her husband, helps fellow villagers to obtain official documents, enroll their children in school and look for jobs. According to the latest poll by the Coalition of Roma Non-Governmental Organizations, around half of all Roma are unemployed. In the rural and suburban areas of Zakarpattia, the unemployment rate in Roma communities is even higher, rising to 95 per cent. According to Angela, poor education makes finding good jobs and providing for their families challenging. In the Roma settlement in the village of Kholmok, the roads are poor, most buildings are unfinished, and some houses have no running water or heating. Yulia, a mother of seven children, says that she is used to it. The family wash clothes and dishes outside, and they heat the house with a stove. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown have further exacerbated the financial vulnerability of Roma families in Zakarpattia. Children who once received meals in schools and kindergartens are now forced to stay at home for long periods, where there is not always enough money for food and medicine. According to the head of the Roma community, Josef Papp, several adults in the Zakarpattia settlement have contracted COVID-19. Now, the Roma of the village of Kholmok are serious about washing their hands and complying with hygienic precautions." UNHCR, Ukraine – 2020 year-end report – Population trends, 2020 "During 2020, UNHCR identified 21 unaccompanied and separated children. Overall, the recognition rate in 2020 was 24% compared to 21% in 2019 with 32% of recognized refugees receiving refugee status compared to 44% in 2019, Ukraine having acceded to the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions in 56