Spring Newsletter

LIANA
KHOROVYTSKA
Ukraine Country Director
“The moment you hear an air raid alarm, or the piercing sound of a deadly missile, or the
deafening blast of a bomb, you realize that this is really happening…this is your new reality.
And you can do only what is under your control – help or be helped.”
CORE’s Ukraine Country Director Liana, has spent the last year providing life-saving humanitarian
services for her fellow citizens. Despite having to flee bombings with her young children across
the border, Liana made the gut-wrenching decision to return to Ukraine without them so she
could help others. Because she, like most Ukrainians, have a resilience that is unprecedented and
a resolve to reclaim the country for their children to live in peacefully once again. Amidst a backdrop
of ongoing missile strikes, Liana is leading the CORE team in delivering food kits and generators to
APRIL 2023

LIANA STORY CONTINUATION
BRAZIL
provide heat during the frigid winter temps
and helping those displaced access shelter,
warm clothes and cash vouchers.
Liana says, “You can’t imagine how grateful
we are to the international community -
you have given food and water, clothes
and shelters, you’ve opened the doors of
the houses to our refugees and provided
them with literally everything for living.
What I would like the world to know
about Ukraine is that, notwithstanding all
the unprecedented military attacks and
atrocities, we ourselves did not expect that
we can still fight back, we can still survive,
we can still apply all efforts to help each
other and hope against all hope.”
WELCOME to our first edition of the CORE
newsletter! From Ukraine to Turkey to Brazil
and Pakistan, CORE’s teams are on the ground
reaching communities in need because of
donors like you. We’re so grateful for your
ongoing support.
Hurricane Ian
OVERVIEW
NEW MIGRANT CENTER
INAUGURATION
In January, CORE cut the ribbon on Rio
de Janeiro’s first Migrant Support Hub. As
many refugees seek humanitarian support
in Brazil, the needs are great. CORE’s
support hub offers a temporary shelter for
individuals and families, an information
center on migrants’ rights, legal assistance
to formalize their migration status, social
assistance support, and resources to
improve migrants’ employability such as
Portuguese lessons.
In addition to programs within Ukraine,
CORE is also operating in neighboring
Poland and Romania where many refugee
families have fled and remain. With support
from donors like you, Liana and our regional
teams have been able to reach over
225,000 people impacted by the conflict.
WATCH FULL VIDEO
@COREresponse
www.COREresponse.org
I recently returned from visiting our longtime
programs in Haiti, which is reeling
from ongoing insecurity and gang activity in
Port-au-Prince. I had the honor of spending
time with the children who attend our Plezi
Mizik program, which focuses on using
music as a transformative tool. The school
and program are the calm in the middle of a
storm for Haitian children who are suffering
from an incredibly unstable and dangerous
environment. Their desire to play soccer
and music and just be kids provides a sense
of hope for the future and a reminder that
together, our work is making an incredible
impact, even when it feels like the world’s
challenges are too big to tackle.
From conflict to natural disasters to the
pandemic, all of the work we do around
the world is community-powered. We look
to communities, leaders, and partners to
help guide us in how best to respond and
empower. And we rely on our community of
supporters to enable us to respond when and
where people need us the most. Thank you for
the trust you place in us. We couldn’t achieve
our mission without you.
Warmly,
Ann
As the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian (Sept.
2022) became clear, CORE prepositioned supplies
and staff in Florida, who mobilized as soon as
possible after the Category 4 storm made landfall.
Our staff and volunteers provided critical relief to
the hardest-hit communities in Lee County. They
distributed essential resources alongside VOAD
partners and provided FEMA assistance, internet
connectivity, medical checkups, debris removal
and muck-out kits. CORE’s work was made
possible by a community of generous partners.
We’re especially grateful to Walmart who provided
a rapid response grant of $350K to fund a roof
repair program in underserved, BIPOC, and elderly
communities. This funding allowed CORE to serve
those who often fall through the cracks or do not
have the paperwork to apply for support swiftly.
Our hearts are with those still rebuilding after
Hurricane Ian. As the 2023 hurricane season
quickly approaches, CORE’s teams stand ready
to respond whenever the next catastrophic
storm hits.
DO YOU KNOW?
With our generous supporters and partners,
we’ve brought immediate relief and longterm
recovery solutions to marginalized
communities in 21 regions worldwide.
10 million
PEOPLE WORLDWIDE

On February 6th, two devastating earthquakes,
measuring 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude struck southern
Turkey and caused catastrophic devastation throughout
the region, including northern Syria. Latest estimates
from UNOCHA indicate that 9.1 million individuals
have been directly affected, with 3 million displaced
within Turkey and 2.4 million living in temporary
shelters. Scores of Turkish nationals and Syrian
refugees remain in dire need of basic resources,
including, shelter, food, cash assistance, psychosocial
support, livelihood re-establishment and longer-term
development opportunities. CORE is working with
TURKEY/SYRIA
EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE
local partners IhsanRD and MSYD to deliver food
kits, cash vouchers, hygiene kits and kitchen sets. As
March 22nd marked the beginning of the holy month
of Ramadan, our teams have also been providing
culturally appropriate foods and support to help
families who are in need. To build sustainable solutions
in response to this crisis, CORE is also partnering with
the local municipality of Hassa and MSYD to rebuild 52
businesses that have been destroyed in the earthquake
through start-up grants. In Antakya, we are developing a
program to support 10 female-run greenhouse projects.
Maisun Al-Khateeb, a Syrian refugee, shared that
when the earthquake hit it was a miracle she
was awake baking sweets at home. “If I had
been sleeping, as most people were, my family
and I would have died too.” We met Maisun in
Mersin, where she relocated her family to a temporary
shelter after their apartment was destroyed in Hatay.
Maisun had to physically pull her daughter out from
under the rubble of their collapsed home and was
able to save her life. Maisun is a beneficiary of CORE
and IhsanRD’s cash voucher assistance program. The
freedom to choose the necessities her family needs has
provided much-needed relief.
Monthly
Giving
We’re only able to respond as soon as a crisis
hits because of our community of supporters
– especially our monthly donors. Having these
funds at the ready ensures CORE is able to
stay nimble and mobilize immediately to hardhit
areas around the world.
Click here to become a monthly donor!
INDIA
INTERNATIONAL DJ &
CORE AMBASSADOR
DIPLO VISITS CORE’S
INDIA PROGRAM
Joining our board member Soleil Moon-Frye,
Diplo visited a local slum community where
CORE delivered testing and vaccination
services during the pandemic and is now
providing food security programming. Diplo
met with a female-led neighborhood group
to learn more about how CORE works with
community members to adapt our services
MEET OUR INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE
DIRECTOR, DEBBIE SANTALESA
Her boots were the first on the ground for CORE following the
Turkey earthquake. Having spent years working in the region
during the war in Syria, Debbie worried for local friends as she
assessed conditions amidst ongoing aftershocks “…seeing
where I had worked and lived totally destroyed and talking to
my friends...who were directly impacted was heartbreaking.
However, this only inspires me to do more to help the millions
of people impacted.”
Over 20 years ago, Debbie was a corporate accountant until she
had a life-threatening car accident that caused her to rethink her
calling. She decided to volunteer overseas in Gaza and the West
Bank where she first met aid workers who were implementing
health, water and food programs. She quickly realized this was the
life for her and transitioned to working in the humanitarian sector.
Since then, Debbie has held roles with Oxfam, Concern Worldwide,
and CARE and is now leading CORE’s international response efforts.
She oversees our programs in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Brazil and
Haiti and builds our emergency response capacity.
so they are culturally and contextually
appropriate. He also took time out to make
friends with some neighborhood kids and
show off his cricket skills.
A huge thank you to Diplo for joining us in
India and also for donating his time to DJ a
charity-fundraiser during Jazzfest in NOLA
this May!

Ann on ABC News
CORE Co-founder and CEO, Ann Lee, was
interviewed by ABC News’ Kyra Phillips
on the ongoing needs in Ukraine at the
one-year mark.
Miami Art Basel
On November 30, the international arts community
joined together with CORE’s long-time supporters
at Soho Beach House in Miami to celebrate CORE’s
global efforts during Art Basel and to raise critical
funds for our mission. Hosted by Garcelle Beauvais,
the evening was attended by Leonardo DiCaprio,
Jared Leto, Tobey Maguire, Natasha Poonawalla, James
and Kathryn Murdoch, and many other high-profile
guests. The annual event raised nearly $1 million
towards CORE’s humanitarian programs. Many notable
artworks were auctioned to benefit CORE, including
a private magic show by David Blaine and a London
Frieze Art experience with Prince Kanwar Amar Jit
Singh. The unforgettable night was capped off by an
electrifying performance by Grammy-award winning
artist, Wyclef Jean.
OUR IMPACT
Haiti Op-ed
As civil unrest continues to grip
Haiti, where CORE has been working
since 2010, CORE’s Margarett Lubin
and Ann Lee authored an OpEd for
Philanthropy News Digest to call
attention to the unprecedented
nature of this current crisis.
UKRAINE
90,000
PEOPLE SUPPORTED
PAKISTAN
70,000
PEOPLE SUPPORTED
www.coreresponse.org