Since the Russian Federation launched a military offensive against Ukraine on 24 February 2022, over 5.2 million people have fled their homes to escape conflict in Ukraine. At least 2,435 civilians have been killed and 2,946 injured.
This is the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II.
An additional 7.7 million people have been displaced internally within Ukraine and over 12 million more have been affected in the areas hardest hit by the war. Humanitarian needs are increasing exponentially.
Our response
We’re working with 3 partner organisations in the ACT Alliance:
- Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) in Ukraine and Hungary
- the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Poland
- Swiss Church Aid (HEKS) in Ukraine, Hungary and Romania, to offer assistance to internally displaced peoples and to refugees
How your generous gifts helped us support our partners
With your unprecedented support so far, we've been able to distribute money to respond to a wide range of needs, including:
- supplying trauma kits and baby incubators
- enabling cash distribution so that Ukrainians can decide their own priorities for themselves
- focusing on vulnerable groups such as women, children, people with disabilities; the frail and elderly
So far, HIA have reached 26,187 people with lifesaving aid, shelter, truckloads of food (345 metric tons), water, sanitation and health support, as well as offering vital information for refugees and internally displaced people.
Through the DEC emergency appeal, Christian Aid has donated £1 million for trauma first aid kits and £1 million for urgently needed medical and pharmaceutical equipment, items and supplies, for Ukraine, through our partner Crown Agents. Our partner is working directly with Ukraine’s Ministry of Health to supply these kits to those caught up in the fighting.
Christian Aid was founded in 1945 by British and Irish churches to help refugees after the Second World War. Back then, we worked with partner churches to alleviate suffering by raising the equivalent of £3 million plus in today’s money.
We supported, equipped and enabled partner churches in mainland Europe to provide what people needed. Nearly 80 years later, we are doing the same.
