Ukraine: Help during the crisis

Table of contents

A smiling woman holding a relief package

What is the situation like in Ukraine?

A Help employee hands out an aid package — We help displaced families, for example by distributing hygiene items and food.©Lana Dmytrenko

Ukraine: Millions of people need humanitarian aid

War has been raging in eastern Ukraine since 2014. As a result of the fighting in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, numerous people have already been killed or driven from their homes. The fear of war and violence has been part of everyday life for the population in eastern Ukraine for years.

The conflict escalated in February 2022. Since then, there has been fierce fighting between Russian troops and Ukrainian forces in large parts of the country. Tens of thousands of people have already fallen victim to the fighting, including many civilians. 8 million people, mostly women and children, have fled to neighboring countries such as Poland, Moldova, Hungary and Romania. An estimated 5.9 million Ukrainians are on the run within the country.

The refugees can often only take the bare necessities with them. There is a lack of food, medicine, hygiene articles and safe accommodation. In addition, large parts of the civilian infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the fighting. Especially in the freezing winter months, many fear for their survival. 17.7 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid – more than a third of the Ukrainian population.

How is Help providing support in Ukraine?

A Help employee hands a relief package to a woman — We help displaced families, for example by distributing hygiene items and food.©Lana Dmytrenko

Emergency aid for families in need

We are currently distributing food packages, hygiene items and hot meals to refugees and other people affected by the war. We offer psychosocial support, especially for children, strengthen local medical care and provide information on safe spaces, evacuations and general protection measures.

In the spirit of helping people to help themselves, we support families with financial aid, for example for accommodation costs.

In addition, we provide medical and social assistance to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova, for example by sending mobile medical units and caring for children in refugee shelters.

Help provides winter aid in Ukraine

The current winter in Ukraine is a great challenge for the population. In many places, the infrastructure has been severely damaged by fighting, including heating systems, electricity and water pipes.

In many buildings, the windows have been destroyed by missiles and no longer offer protection from the icy cold. In addition, the extremely high energy prices are unaffordable for many families. Help is therefore currently providing comprehensive winter relief measures to help people overcome the harsh winter.

Help has been working in Ukraine since 2021 to create new perspectives and better living conditions for displaced people and other disadvantaged groups. Since the escalation of the conflict, we have devoted our full attention to emergency relief throughout the country.

A Ukrainian woman with an aid package — Help provides winter relief.©Lana Dmytrenko

Donors and partners: ADH (Aktion Deutschland Hilft), AA (Auswärtiges Amt), Stiftung der Deutschen Lions, NAK-karitativ, Dohle Stiftung, King Baudouin Foundation

Local partners in Ukraine and Moldova

Photos: How we support Ukraine

Zwei ältere Damen stehen vor einem Hilfspaket

Helfer:innen packen Lebensmittelpakete in Dnipro

Help-Mitarbeiterin Nelia Surus im Gespräch mit einem Bauern aus Lubny

Zwei Krankenhausmitarbeiter in Charkiw nehmen eine Medikamentenlieferung von Help an

Zerstörtes Gebäude in der Ukraine und Blume

Eine Psychologin unterhält sich mit einem Mädchen

Ein Bauer erhält ein Hilfspaket von Help

Zwei Kinder sitzen auf Matratzen in einem Wohnzimmer

Zwei Köchinnen in einer Suppenküche in Saporischschja

Vier Frauen beantworten Anrufe in einem Callcenter

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Facts and Figures

Figures about the Ukraine

Since the outbreak of the war, 8 million people have left the country as refugees.
1.46 million people were registered as internally displaced before the war began, 51 per cent of them in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
As a result of the escalation of the conflict, the number of IDPs increased to around 5.9 million.
Since February 24, 2022, 7,068 civilians have been killed and 11,415 injured.
17.6 million people in Ukraine are dependent on humanitarian aid.

Source: UNHCR, ReliefWeb, United Nations

Status: 26 January 2023

Facts about Help in Ukraine

Help is currently providing emergency aid for victims in Ukraine and for Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.
In Ukraine, we are active in sixteen oblasts: Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Zakarpattia, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and Vinnytsia.
We distribute food, water, hygiene articles and hot meals.
Help offers medical and psychological support through our partners.
We support families with financial aid that they can use for accommodation costs.
We offer psychosocial support and provide information on safe spaces, evacuations and general protection measures.
Help supports farmers with feed, veterinary medicine and fuel.
We are currently providing winter relief.

Status: 01/2023