Ukrainian-Led Nonprofit Founder Honored with 2025 Gene Dewey Refugee Award for Transforming Services to Children with Disabilities
WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2025 – USA for UNHCR today named Igor Moskalyk, Executive Director of the Eleon Foundation, recipient of the 2025 Gene Dewey Refugee Award for exemplary leadership in support of forcibly displaced people. The annual prize recognizes individuals who go beyond the call of duty to improve the lives of refugees and to advance public understanding of displacement crises.
Moskalyk, himself a Ukrainian refugee, launched the Poland-based Eleon Foundation in November 2022 to address a gap in psychosocial care for children with special needs who have fled the Russian invasion. Operating from a former riding stable on the outskirts of Warsaw, the organization pairs licensed therapists with rescued horses to provide hippotherapy—an evidence-based intervention shown to reduce post-traumatic stress symptoms and improve motor coordination in children with autism, Down syndrome and physical disabilities.
“Refugee children with special needs are too often invisible in humanitarian response plans,” said Suzanne Ehlers, CEO of USA for UNHCR.
“Igor Moskalyk and his team place dignity and inclusion at the center of their work, proving that refugee-led solutions can be both compassionate and clinically effective.”
Since its founding, Eleon Foundation has enrolled more than 450 Ukrainian children in weekly therapy sessions. An internal six-month evaluation released in January 2025 found that 78 percent of participating parents reported “significant improvement” in their child’s emotional regulation, while 65 percent documented measurable gains in balance and fine-motor skills. The study, reviewed by the Warsaw University of Life Sciences, aligns with peer-reviewed research published in Frontiers in Psychology showing that equine-assisted therapy can cut cortisol levels by up to 37 percent in traumatized youth.
Beyond hippotherapy, the nonprofit runs a Polish-language club that has helped 210 children matriculate into local public schools, and it hosts monthly caregiver support circles that reach an additional 1,200 family members. All services are provided free of charge, funded by a combination of small-dollar donations and a grant from the Polish Ministry of Health.
Gene Dewey, former U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees and the award’s namesake, praised Moskalyk’s model as “a blueprint for community-based refugee protection in middle-income host countries.”
“After three years of war, it remains critically important to highlight and support the efforts of Ukrainian refugees in Poland as they persevere and build communities of resilience,” Dewey said.
The timing of the award coincides with fresh data from UNHCR showing that one in three Ukrainian refugees abroad—roughly 1.6 million people—exhibit symptoms consistent with moderate to severe psychological distress, yet fewer than 12 percent have access to culturally appropriate mental-health services. Children with developmental disabilities face additional barriers, including stigma and language gaps, making targeted interventions like Eleon Foundation’s all the more urgent.
Moskalyk will accept the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2025. The event is expected to draw diplomats, philanthropy leaders and technology partners interested in scaling refugee-led innovations across Europe.
About USA for UNHCR
USA for UNHCR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that mobilizes resources and public support for the U.N. Refugee Agency. The organization funds shelter, education, health and legal-aid programs that benefit more than 30 million refugees and displaced people worldwide. Learn more at www.unrefugees.org.
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