SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE: A CALL FOR UNFAILING HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT

Group shelter in Lviv
© Katya Moskalyuk / Première Urgence Internationale

For 730 days, Ukraine has been engulfed in the horror of war. For 730 days, millions of Ukrainian civilians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter. For 730 days, surviving the war has been part of everyday life for 14.6 million Ukrainians, who are still in need of humanitarian aid.

During the two years of war in Ukraine, we have heard thousands of stories of families, women, men and children, who have lost everything. For many of them, war is an everyday reality: living in a basement to protect themselves from bombardments, not knowing if they’ll be able to eat tomorrow, having to move constantly… Under these conditions, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to live life to the full, and physical insecurity is followed by mental insecurity. 

To help these civilian populations overcome the difficulties caused by war, the Dorijka consortium (which means “paths” in Ukrainian) led by Première Urgence Internationale and bringing together 5 French NGOs was created in July 2022 with the support of USAID’s Office of Humanitarian Assistance. In total, about 797,100 people have benefited from the Dorijka consortium’s aid in 14 regions of Ukraine. 

This aid took the form of drinking water supplies, humanitarian equipment, hygiene and winter kits, as well as medical consultations and psychological counseling sessions. 

As we enter the third year of this full-scale war, humanitarian aid is still essential to meet people’s immediate needs, but it is also important to anticipate these needs over the long term. New waves of internal displacement within Ukraine can be expected, as well as a worsening mental health crisis throughout the country. 

While the UN estimates that $4.2 billion will be required by 2024 to meet the needs of Ukrainians, there is a risk that certain regions will be progressively excluded from the scope of emergency funding. In these circumstances, alignment between humanitarian organizations and the public is essential. The Dorijka Consortium calls for continued unwavering humanitarian support for Ukraine, and for close coordination between the humanitarian sector and the concerned public. 

Read the full article on the Dorijka website 

Première Urgence Internationale and 50 humanitarian NGOs issue a joint statement calling for the immediate protection of civilians: