In a crisis, look for the helpers
The news are bleak. And yet, there are many people and organisations out there committed to making the world a bit better every day. In this project, we give ten civil society organisations the stage and show how they address different issues our societies face across Europe.

Ireland
✕Meet Western Europe's proudest nomadic community
Pavee Point – a national centre for Traveller and Roma rights – celebrated 40 busy years in operation this January. But the community they work with is thousands of years older.
Türkiye
✕What we can learn from Türkiye’s women’s right movement
What do you do if your own government fails to protect you? In 2024 alone, at least 446 women were murdered through femicides in Türkiye. As the state fails to protect women, civil society organisations are stepping in to fill the void.
France
✕How can we solve food poverty?
Meet the Montpellier Common Food Fund, a local initiative turning grocery bills into a shared responsibility, so everyone can eat well.
The Netherlands
✕How can we solve polarisation?
The world feels increasingly polarised. One Dutch organisation is changing that by going door-to-door to have personal conversations about polarising issues, like migration. They mediate deep conversations between strangers, where people share personal stories and really listen to each other.
United Kingdom
✕Saving the planet, one lawsuit at a time
Turtles, dolphins and a colony of flamingoes: Italy's Po Delta is home to hundreds of species. But in 2021, the Italian government announced plans to drill for gas near the marine protected area. Together with locals and NGOs, ClientEarth – a team of legal experts defending the climate – challenged the decision in court.
Czechia
✕No means no: How a Czech NGO helped rewrite the law on sexual assault
A series of extreme cases of rape exposed deep flaws in the Czechia's justice system and ignited widespread public debate. Then, the NGO Konsent pulled off something remarkable: it got the country's legal definition of rape rewritten. And rewritten fairly, in favour of the victims.
Ukraine
✕Giving young people a community during war
Three years into Russia's invasion, many among Ukraine's youth have lost a family member or friend. Their education is often interrupted by constant air raids and ongoing destruction resulting from Russian attacks. How do young people find community in these circumstances, while going through the time in life – puberty – when needing it most? This is where the NGO Building Ukraine Together BUR steps in.
Slovakia
✕Lights, camera, learn! Movies teach more than meets the eye
"Culture has a fundamental role in everybody's life," Irene Pavesi, Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst from Artistic Freedom Initiative, told The European Correspondent. "It affects the way we speak to each other, the way we interact with each other, but also the way we tell stories about our identity and our history." Right now, Slovakia can tell us about the relevance of culture more than any other country in Europe – as it's constantly repressed.
Malta
✕When institutions failed Maltese women, 60,000 of them turned to Facebook
Every day, thousands of women in Malta ask questions like this in the Facebook group Women for Women (Malta). In a country of just 560,000 people, this group has amassed over 60,000 members, representing an impressive 26% of Malta's female population who are eligible for a Facebook account.
This project was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Culture of Solidarity Fund powered by the European Cultural Foundation.
Support independent European journalism
Being supported by you and many other readers keeps us free from political or corporate influence. It means our correspondents can report independently and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power. We can only produce the newsletter with your support – and work towards the bigger project: building true European media.
In this crucial year for Europe, we hope you’ll choose to support us. Become a donor now!
I really love your philosophy and initiative. Thank you and keep up the good work! People of Europe need it.
– Ingaborg, LatviaI’m glad I signed up. It gives me a good overview of European news. Thank you
– Kathy, SpainThanks for helping keeping the European dream alive in this post brexit wilderness
– Ben, United KingdomI am new to the Newsletter, but it is filling a gap I did not realise was there. Keep going!
– C., PortugalI absolutely love the project and the newsletter so much! It's so incredibly important!
– Anna L., Austria