Svitlo was founded in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We came to the US as Jewish refugees and have roots in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan. In March 2022 we became a part of a founding team of CCFR, a nonprofit that helped over 20 thousand Ukrainians at the US-Mexican border. While at CCFR, we saw how disjointed US immigration and public benefits systems are and the resulting fragmentation of information. We then witnessed firsthand the difficulties that this lack of transparency presented not only to Ukrainian families and their sponsors but also to many government agencies and nonprofits. We are a 100% volunteer-based organization.

We started Svitlo — a platform that collects information and resources and presents them in a simple language and intuitive layout. To do that we built a team of volunteers and leveraged a vast network from USCIS, DHS, Washington Ukrainian Welcoming Task Force, CA Ukrainian Statewide Community Convenings, Office for New Americans, NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, New York Immigration Coalition, Welcome.us, Ukraine Immigration Task Force, and many other partners in resettlement agencies and nonprofits — a network we are very grateful for and always looking to expand. We hope that Svitlo will provide support and comfort as you make your first steps as newcomers to the US or their sponsors. 

With love,
Yuliya, Liza, and Natasha