VolEver Volunteer App, VERTIS Translation, Pension Planning and the Svitlobook Story: Three Workshops for Ukrainian Refugees in Lithuania
Three workshops in Panevėžys, Naujoji Akmenė and Utena introduced Ukrainian refugees to the VolEver volunteering app, the free VERTIS translation service and pension planning, alongside one entrepreneur's story of starting over.
Around 30 Ukrainian refugees spent four hours learning how to book a state-funded interpreter, find a volunteer to practice Lithuanian with and make sense of the country's pension system. The workshops, organized by the Refugee Council of Lithuania, were held in three regional towns, where support networks are often thinner than in the big cities.
The sessions took place on Sept. 19 in Panevėžys, on Sept. 22 in Naujoji Akmenė and on Sept. 28 in Utena. They were hosted, respectively, at the Caritas Panevėžys office, the Akmenė District Municipality and a municipal building in central Utena. The Refugee Council thanks all three hosts for opening their doors.
Newcomers in smaller towns frequently do not know what help already exists. Each workshop was built to close that gap with concrete tools rather than general encouragement.
A digital bridge between neighbors
The first pillar was VolEver, short for "Volunteers Everywhere," a mobile app developed by the Refugee Council to connect Ukrainians who arrived after 2022 with local volunteers. Launched in Lithuania, Poland and the Czech Republic, it is available on iOS and Android in six languages: English, Ukrainian, Czech, Lithuanian, Polish and Russian. Users can switch between requesting and offering help.
The project has outperformed its own ambitions. Against an initial target of 80 beneficiaries and 80 volunteers, it has registered 135 beneficiaries and 89 active volunteers across 18 Lithuanian municipalities. Volunteers can accompany people to medical or educational appointments, distribute material aid, offer language practice, provide social mentoring and help coordinate events. Legal advice, medical care and individual psychological counseling are deliberately excluded.
Although the formal grant cycle ends on Oct. 10, 2026, the Refugee Council said the VolEver platform will remain fully operational, with maintenance funded by the organization itself. Volunteers who want to document their experience can request formal verification of their hours or a recommendation letter for their CVs.
When language is the barrier, the state can help
The second presentation came from a representative of the Reception and Integration Agency (Priėmimo ir integracijos agentūra), who introduced VERTIS, the country's translation services administration system. For many participants, it was news.
VERTIS provides free written and oral translation in up to 40 languages, funded by the state and the European Union. It is open to third-country nationals legally residing in Lithuania, including Ukrainians with temporary protection. Interpreters can be booked for administrative, medical or educational appointments, including, as the speaker noted, a driving exam at Regitra or a visit to the doctor. Written translation covers documents such as civil certificates, court papers, diplomas, medical records and asylum paperwork.
The speaker was careful to stress that VERTIS is not an instant machine-translation tool. It is a human-managed booking system. For phone interpretation, users must call the number generated for them at the exact scheduled minute; call early, and the interpreter will not be connected.
Planning for a future that is easy to postpone
Viktoriia Romanovska, a financial consultant at iFuture, turned to a subject that many newcomers set aside while managing more urgent concerns: retirement. She urged participants to keep physical copies of their employment contracts and to check their Sodra (State Social Insurance Fund) accounts regularly. From 2027, she noted, a full state old-age pension in Lithuania will require 35 years of documented work history.
She walked participants through the country's three-pillar pension model: the state-run Sodra system; the second, state-funded accumulation tier, for which reforms are coming and withdrawal windows remain open through late 2027; and the third, voluntary private pillar. Any withdrawal, she advised, should fit a longer-term financial strategy rather than answer a short-term need.
iFuture is offering refugees a first consultation free of charge. Those interested can write to Ms. Romanovska at viktoriia.romanovska@ifuture.lt.
"Nothing is impossible"
The final speaker was Svitlana, founder of Svitlobuk, the first Ukrainian bookstore in Lithuania. She arrived in the country in 2021 with a 10-month-old child and, at first, relied on humanitarian aid. She then took courses run by the Refugee Council and the Red Cross, built a network of mutual support, found salaried work and, eventually, opened her own business.
Her message was as much about people as about business. The greatest capital anyone can have, she told participants, is the people who help you, and the organizations and projects that push you out of your comfort zone. Her practical advice: use municipal consulting services, secure private health and investment insurance, and cultivate professional networks. Nothing is impossible, she said; what matters most is the desire to make it happen.
Listening to the room
Each workshop ended with a World Café, an interactive group discussion on local needs, followed by participant evaluations and a wrap-up. The exercise gave organizers a direct view of what refugees in each town want and lack.
Participants' reactions suggested the format had struck a chord. One woman in Utena said she was simply grateful to have made it. "I'm so happy I came today. My plans even lined up so that I could, and I wanted so much to be here," she said. "There was a great deal of useful information that I hadn't known about at all."
For the Refugee Council of Lithuania, that is precisely the point. Information, it turns out, can be a form of aid, provided it reaches the people who need it. To learn more about the organization's work in advocacy, education and information, visit refugeeslt.com.
The project is co-financed by the European Union.
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