Knowledge Hub
Thanks to the enormous public response to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, and the generosity of you, our own Concern supporters, at the time of writing the appeal has raised a huge £400 million to support people affected by the conflict. This is shared across the DEC’s 15 member agencies, including Concern.
We have used appeal funds to provide emergency support since the start of the crisis. A year later, we take a look at how your generous support has supported people who have had to leave their homes but are still living in Ukraine.
Millions of people were forced to flee their homes in the conflict. Collective centres have been set up across the country to give families an emergency place to eat, sleep and access essential services.
It is so difficult, I am very homesick. It is difficult to digest. It is not so difficult to leave, but with time you really want to go back. You have your normal life with plans, and then suddenly no plans at all. It is just an emergency.
Millions of people in Ukraine have found themselves in new places with no shelter or belongings. Many families have no food or cooking facilities and so, together with our partners, we have organised the distribution of food kits as well as providing hot meals at collective centres; essential in these cold winter months.
“We are grateful for your support. When we came here we only had our clothes on, and with the help of INGOs we received foot kits, hygiene items and clothing, so we are really grateful.”
“I am from Kharkiv. My wife and daughter came here in March and I came in April with my dog (Marshmallow). I travelled with my dog on the train and it took 24 hours. All I could bring was a backpack and the dog. I volunteer here because I want to help and be useful.”
Many people fled their homes with little notice, taking only what they could carry. We have worked with communities so that families can access hygiene kits, baby care kits and washing machines to clean their clothes.
Conflict and displacement causes a huge amount of trauma. Together with our partners we are providing psychosocial group sessions. We offer structured group activities for adults, as well as awareness-raising sessions and experience-sharing groups.
Kateryna* an IDP, has taken part in four psychosocial support sessions so far and told us that: “It helps that you can cry and speak. It [the situation] is really stressful because when you sleep you dream about the conflict. It gives you flashbacks. You hear the news and see pictures. Some people couldn’t leave their hometown and when you hear what is happening there it is scary.”
15,000 individuals (around 4,286 households) will be supported by cash transfers with DEC appeal funding. This support will help to cover people’s basic needs including food, medicine and shelter, as well as warmer clothes as the temperature plummets to as low as -20°C in some areas in the winter.
Sofiy* and her children wait inside the entrance of a library as the await verification that they can receive a cash transfer. She told us “We don’t really have a network here. We are on our own. We are quite used to the blackouts now and our most urgent needs are food, clothing and firewood to heat the house.”
Thank you for all your support.
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