Since September 2023, the Legal Development Network together with the Czech humanitarian organization People in Need has created a unique platform Link — an innovative mechanism for local coordination of humanitarian response that is changing approaches to aid in de-occupied communities.
Link unites a powerful partner network: humanitarian organizations, local governments, and active citizens. Together they create a community that operates on the principle “no need will go unnoticed.”
Link’s Mission: Help where others don’t notice it
The platform focuses on what often remains “behind the scenes” of major humanitarian operations — on unmet and unnoticed needs of people in remote settlements of de-occupied communities. Link complements the global OCHA coordination system, working precisely with those challenges that may “fall out” of the field of view of large-scale programs.
The Link mechanism covers 25 de-occupied communities in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions (335 settlements)
How Link works in practice
The Link mechanism has a network of informants in each settlement of de-occupied communities. Through them, the monitoring team learns and verifies information about needs. Information updates occur every two weeks.
Impressive results. As of May 2025, 5,692 needs have been identified, of which 1,326 have already been met.
Technology in service of humanity
Smart information collection — each need is verified from two or more sources to guarantee reliability. Needs updates occur every two weeks.
Instant access to information — a public dashboard shows current needs in real time. Aid providers can instantly see where their help is most needed.
Community cabinet — a revolutionary tool that allows informants from communities to effectively manage the needs of their residents, track progress, and coordinate efforts of different organizations. Needs entered through the community cabinet are verified by Link specialists from two or more sources and only then become public.
Partner cabinet — a tool that allows a partner to take a need for execution (“book” it), as well as obtain more information about needs through analytics.
Next-generation CRM system — providers can “book” needs for execution through the public dashboard and cabinets, while the entire community tracks progress in real time.
IP telephony — ensures uninterrupted communication between all process participants, creating a true network of mutual assistance.
Why Link is more than a platform
Link is a new way of thinking about humanitarian aid. Instead of chaotic crisis response, the platform creates a system where every need has a chance to be heard, every community can effectively coordinate aid, and every provider knows where their help will be most valuable.
This is the future of humanitarian response — technological, personalized, and extremely effective.
