Assistance for the people affected by the war in Ukraine
Your donation for the people from Ukraine
Caritas Switzerland has provided humanitarian aid since the outbreak of the war and supplied people in Ukraine with basic necessities. Caritas supports internally displaced people and particularly vulnerable families with stabilising assistance in the midst of the uncertainties of the war.
17.7 million people in Ukraine continue to depend on humanitarian aid. The need remains huge, particularly in the regions in the east and south of the country. Ukrainians have been enduring a state of war for more than a year. There is no early end in sight.
Support is still needed
Millions of people have been driven from their homes, livelihoods have been destroyed, and families have been torn apart. People continue to struggle for access to food, water and medical care. Many don’t have a safe place to live.
Caritas aid continues
Providing people with the basic necessities remains the central focus of Caritas’ commitment.. Thanks to cooperation with the local Caritas organisations in Ukraine, the aid can be targeted appropriately so it reaches the people most urgently in need of it.
In 2023, Caritas Switzerland’s projects in Ukraine focus on the protection and help for those most in need, the repair and maintenance of private accommodation and securing livelihoods. Caritas Switzerland commits itself to assist the people locally and to adapt the aid offers to the particular needs.
«The needs will continue to be huge in the coming months and will remain so for years to come. Caritas Switzerland has therefore made a long-term commitment in Ukraine and continues to urgently need on support.»Maria CarrHead of Programs Ukraine Crisis REsponse
Winter aid
The homes of more than 2.5 million people have been damaged in military attacks. Nearly half of the country’s power supply has been destroyed. The winter has further exacerbated the already precarious situation of many internally displaced people and those who have remained in their homes. So in recent months, Caritas has supported people in bracing themselves against the cold and keeping warm through the winter. The repair and maintenance of private accommodation will continue to be a focus of Caritas Switzerland’s work in Ukraine.
The house of Kateryna and Ivan Mazur in Irpin was hit several times by shells. The couple were lucky to escape the bombardment with their lives. With the support of Caritas, the pensioner couple received new windows and a large delivery of firewood.
«Shells blew out all the windows and the front door. To prevent us freezing to death, friends took us into their home.»Kateryna MazurUKRAINIAN
Cash assistance
While hopes for a quick end of the war were high at the beginning, the people of Ukraine are now forced to find longer-term solutions. Many families’ savings are running out, thousands have lost their job. Caritas Switzerland supports vulnerable families with cash assistance and also offers psychological support and social counselling.
Internally displaced people and those who are remaining in their houses can thus meet their most urgent needs directly. Caritas’ assistance supports them in coping with their daily lives and find some stability in the midst of the war.
Swiss Solidarity, the SDC and Cordaid support the cash assistance and winter aid in Ukraine.
Looking back: More than a year of war
In the first weeks of the war, millions of Ukrainians fled to the west of the country or sought protection across the border. In cooperation with the international Caritas Network, Caritas Switzerland supported the emergency relief in Ukraine from the start of the war. People in flight were given hot meals and drinking water at railway stations and found shelter in the accommodation provided by Caritas. Via a rapidly established goods depot in Poland, people in need across Ukraine were supplied with the most urgently needed items as long as the market was at a standstill and supply chains were broken.
In the neighbouring countries of Poland, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania, Caritas supported refugees in 2022 with mobile reception centres, accommodation, care, psychosocial support and integration services such as childcare or language courses.
Employees work tirelessly
The immediate aid was possible thanks to the advance planning and the strong local connection Caritas has with Ukraine. To date, more than 3'000 employees and thousands of volunteers are working tirelessly in Ukraine.
Kateryna Syvach from Saporischschja talks about the work of Caritas close to the frontline, where the most urgent needs are and what it means when one’s daily life is marked by bomb alarms and power failure.
Mira Milavec is also one of the many Caritas employees who provide daily support. What has slowly become part of everyday life is still far from normality. Mira looks back to the outbreak of the war and reports about people’s desperate need.
Become a disaster relief worker
As a disaster relief worker, you are on the spot and help save the lives of people in Ukraine.
Header image: © Caritas Ukraine