Amazon has opened a new humanitarian aid hub in Slovakia to help relief organisations provide faster support to Ukrainian refugees, and Amazon Web Services is contributing technology resources to support humanitarian relief in Eastern Europe.
The humanitarian hub, in more than 16,000 square feet of warehouse space, is the largest Amazon has ever built. It will help provide millions of donated supplies, including shelter materials, hygiene items, blankets, and clothing to refugees.
As critical supplies come into Amazon’s European network, the items are shipped to the new hub in Slovakia, where space is exclusively set aside for the relief efforts. The supplies are distributed to refugees in partnership with international charities.
Amazon Web Services is powering applications that are facilitating the intake of Ukrainian refugees at border crossings, providing technology to help establish safe evacuation routes, setting up emergency internet connectivity, and enabling secure communications.
Amazon also has begun a new Welcome Door programme to assist refugee and humanitarian-based immigrant employees, who will have access to a new Citizenship Assistance Portal that will support US citizenship applications, free legal resources, and reimbursement for Employment Authorisation Document renewal fees.
