Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům

What Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům does

Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům (OPU) is a Czech non-governmental, non-profit organization (zapsaný spolek) founded in 1990–1991 that delivers free legal, social, and psychological assistance to refugees and migrants in the Czech Republic. Its primary client base is refugees and migrants with various residence permit types, asylum seekers, and beneficiaries of temporary protection — including unaccompanied minors and children of migrants — with secondary support extended to elderly refugees in Georgia. OPU operates five branch offices in the largest Czech cities (Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Hradec Králové), a community center in Prague, and field outreach teams that visit 32 regular locations, generating 7,000+ legal/social counseling clients and 2,452+ field contacts annually.

OPU's service portfolio comprises Social Help Services, Legal Aid Services, Psychological Aid Services, a Community Center offering Czech-language and integration programs, and the VolEver mobile application (launched February 2026, available on Android and iOS in Czechia, Poland, and Lithuania) which connects Ukrainian refugees with volunteers through registration, location-based matching, secure chat, and a rating system. The organization's primary technology asset is VolEver, co-funded under the EU ESF+ Social Innovation+ initiative; the rest of OPU's delivery model is service- and people-intensive rather than software-driven.

OPU's revenue model is grant-funded: its budget is formed primarily from European Union funds (ESF, ESF+, AMIF), United Nations organizations (UNHCR, UNICEF, IOM), international foundations based in the Netherlands, USA, UK, and Germany, plus Czech regional and municipal budgets. Individual donations via bank transfer, QR code, and the Darujme.cz platform contribute approximately 5% of annual funding. All services to clients are provided free of charge; OPU does not generate profit and salaries are set at the lower-to-middle range of the Czech market. The organization is a member of the Czech Migration Consortium of NGOs and has influenced national and EU migration policy through cases validated by the Court of Justice of the EU (Case C-753/23 Krasiliva) and the Czech Supreme Administrative Court.

Name

Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům

Legal name

Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům, z.s.

Website

https://opu.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Organizace pro pomoc uprchlíkům (OPU) is a Czech non-profit founded in 1990–1991 that delivers free legal, social, and psychological assistance to refugees and migrants through five branch offices, a community center, and the VolEver mobile app, funded primarily by EU and UN grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee and migrant assistance services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Social Assistance (624), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Newcomer & Refugee Student Support Programs (EDAJAGAH)

Keywords

• Refugee assistance services
• Migrant integration support
• Free legal aid
• Asylum counseling
• Social work services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vysocany

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding: OPU's primary revenue comes from open grants and funding calls. Budget is formed from European Union funds, United Nations organizations, international foundations (Netherlands, USA, UK, Germany), regional government budgets, and some national budget grants. Every grant is tied to a project with a specific realization plan, defined impacts, and recipient counts, with strict reporting requirements.
2. Individual donations: Donors and supporters contribute approximately 5% of OPU's annual funding. Donations are accepted via bank transfer, QR code, and the Darujme.cz platform. A transparent bank account allows monitoring of incoming and outgoing gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

OPU provides free legal, social, and psychological assistance to refugees and migrants in the Czech Republic, including residence permit resolution, asylum support, accompaniment to government offices, Czech language education through a community center, and volunteer matching via the VolEver mobile application. The organization serves 7,000+ clients annually through five branch offices, field outreach, and specialized programs for unaccompanied minors, victims of exploitation, and people in detention.

Product overview

OPU is a non-governmental non-profit organization providing free services to refugees and migrants in Czech Republic. The organization offers a unified service portfolio comprising social and legal counseling, a community center with educational programs, and a mobile volunteer-matching application called VolEver. Services are delivered through five branch offices in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, and Hradec Králové, with additional international operations in Georgia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VolEver: A mobile application that connects volunteers with Ukrainian refugees in Czech Republic, Poland, and Lithuania.

Products and services

• Legal Aid Services (Právní pomoc) Free legal counseling and representation for foreigners and refugees in the Czech Republic, including assistance with residency status, asylum applications, temporary protection, and protection against exploitation. The legal team regularly visits detention facilities (115 times in 2024) and residential facilities (150 times in 2024), and represents clients in courts and at EU level.
• Social Help Services (Sociální pomoc) Free social counseling and assistance to refugees and migrants with various types of residency and their families in difficult life situations. Includes accompaniment to government offices, schools, kindergartens, insurance companies, and other institutions (1,636 escorts per year), plus field outreach to 32 regular locations in Prague and Central Bohemian Region (2,452+ contacts per year).
• Psychological Help Services (Psychologická pomoc) Free psychological support services for refugees and migrants as part of OPU's integrated service model combining legal, social, and psychological assistance.
• Community Center (Kovářská 4, Prague) Community center located at Kovářská 4, Prague 9, providing Czech language courses, workshops, leisure activities, children's programs, summer camps, and educational lectures at schools and for the general public (23 lectures for 387 students in one year). Includes the 'S OPU na výlety' excursion program.
• VolEver Mobile Application Mobile application (Android and iOS) that connects volunteers with Ukrainian refugees in Czech Republic, Poland, and Lithuania. Users can offer or seek practical help such as Czech language practice, accompaniment to offices, or regional orientation. Features include user registration with district selection, OPU staff verification, secure in-app chat, and a rating system. Available on Google Play and Apple App Store.
• Halfway Houses for Young Foreigners Three 'Halfway Houses' operated by OPU providing residential accommodation for young foreigners, housing 25 young foreigners annually as a bridge to independent living.
• Gvirilas Sakhli (Chamomile House) Day Care Center Day care center for elderly refugees in Khashuri, Georgia, serving those from South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. Provides care services and social support to address social isolation and trauma.

Quantifiable outcome

• 7,000+ clients helped annually through legal and social counseling
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gvirilas Sakhli (Chamomile House) - GeorgiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012OPU opened a day care center for elderly refugees in Khashuri, Georgia in 2012, after the Russia-Georgia conflict. The center has been undergoing renovation since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNHCR logo appears in OPU's partner section. UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency and a key strategic partner for refugee protection work in Czechia.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF logo appears in OPU's partner section, indicating support for child protection and unaccompanied minor programs.
• Czech government institutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPU collaborates with the Ministry of Interior, OSPOD, Police of the Czech Republic, educational institutions, municipal offices, and the Administration for Support and Integration of Foreigners (SPRIV).
• Magistráty a městské části (Regional and municipal authorities)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional governments and municipal offices in Prague, Ostrava, Plzeň, and other regions provide funding and institutional cooperation.
• Migrační konsorcium (Migration Consortium of NGOs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPU is a member of the Czech Migration Consortium of NGOs, which jointly advocates for migrant rights, issues policy statements, and coordinates advocacy efforts with government.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Slovenská humanitná rada (Slovak Humanitarian Council): Slovak umbrella of humanitarian and refugee-support NGOs providing legal and social services to migrants and asylum seekers. Comparable as a neighboring-country counterpart operating the same service model for CEE refugee populations.

Others

• IOM - UN Migration: UN agency coordinating migration management globally, and a funder of OPU (subject to the 2025 stop-work-order). Comparable as a policy-setter and donor counterpart whose funding decisions directly affect OPU's program continuity.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): UN agency mandated to protect refugees and a core funder/strategic partner of OPU. Relevant as the upstream institutional counterparty that sets standards and channels funding to operational NGOs like OPU.
• MPC (Migrační konsorcium / Consortium of Migrants Assisting NGOs): Czech consortium of which OPU is itself a member; coordinates advocacy, joint statements, and policy work with government. Comparable as a peer consortium for collective advocacy on migrant rights, directly relevant to OPU's strategic positioning.

Broad incumbents

• HIAS: International Jewish refugee agency providing legal aid, resettlement, and integration services across multiple host countries. Comparable for its legal-representation and refugee-resettlement model paralleling OPU's core services.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Large global humanitarian organization delivering refugee resettlement, legal aid, and integration services in dozens of countries. Comparable as a scaled incumbent operating many of the same service lines (legal aid, social support, women's protection, resettlement) as OPU.

Direct peers

• Český helsinský výbor (Czech Helsinki Committee): Czech human-rights NGO providing free legal aid to refugees, asylum seekers, and detained foreigners, with strategic litigation at Czech and European courts. Closely comparable legal-aid and policy-advocacy mandate to OPU's legal department.
• Člověk v tísni (People in Need): Czech NGO with one of the largest humanitarian programs in CEE, including refugee/migrant support, legal aid, and integration work. Directly comparable as a domestic Czech peer competing for the same EU grants, volunteer pool, and refugee client base as OPU.
• Charita Česká republika (Caritas Czech Republic): Largest Czech charity network, delivering social and integration services to foreigners and refugees across dioceses. Directly comparable because it offers free legal/social counseling, asylum support, and integration programs through a national branch structure.

Emerging players

• Refugee Council (UK): UK-based charity providing advice, advocacy, and integration support for refugees and asylum seekers. Comparable as an NGO with a parallel service portfolio — legal advice, social support, policy advocacy — in a different host-country context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@opu-cz
• Xx.com/OPUcz
• Facebookfacebook.com/organizacepropomocuprchlikum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/organizace-pro-pomoc-uprchlikum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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