Ukraine not Forgotten
Published: May 25, 2017 Reading time: 3 minutes
After the conflict erupted in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, forcing over a million of people to flee their homes and heavily affecting their lives, People in Need (PIN) set up its main emergency program office in the town of Slavyansk. Besides, large-scale humanitarian aid operations were launched in cooperation with/with assistance of/with support of its first major donor – the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Department (ECHO). Distribution of food, hygiene products, shelter materials and cash assistance were the main forms of provided aid. The currently ongoing PIN-ECHO partnership started in June 2016 and since than has already provided more than 1,680,000 Eastern Ukraine residents with life-saving aid. Until November 2016, PIN belonged among few INGOs implementing their emergency response activities in non-government controlled areas (NGCA) of Donetsk and Luhansk regions/areas. PIN has currently access into NGCA Luhansk region/area.
Millions of people have been facing food shortages since the beginning of the conflict. tThanks to PIN and ECHO cooperation 23,000 of the most vulnerable ones have received food assistance. Under the close coordination of the EU, People in Need provides food rations in the most heavily affected frontline areas. In government-controlled areas (GCA) with sustained access to food markets, PIN also provides food vouchers to the most vulnerable internally displaced people (IDPs) as well as to local residents. In NGCA, where an access to markets is less stable and prices are significantly higher, PIN delivers food parcels to the most needed families and provides social institutions with food.
During the past three years, numbers of towns and villages throughout the frontline have been cut off from the water supply. Having started with water distribution directly to those in need, PIN is now beginning to reconstruct water supply systems and secure access to water for the most severely damaged towns along the front line. Furthermore, waste removal services are being provided. PIN also distributes hygiene parcels and vouchers. As of now, thanks to the support from ECHO, PIN has helped more than 1,000,000 people.
The European Union is also a PIN’s partner in terms of emergency shelter assistance to the households damaged by fighting on both sides of the conflict. PIN tries to secure at least one warm room in the house. This is accomplished by reparations of damaged houses (mostly roofing works and windows installation) or cash grants so that the beneficiaries are able to repair their houses on their own, but in the same time they can cover costs of renting in a safer location. PIN has also provided 675 conflict-affected households with winter-specific support, including fuel for heating. Furthermore, 4,500 families received emergency shelter assistance.
With small financial grants, PIN helps IDPs and vulnerable local populations in the conflict zone to restore their source of income with the aim to decrease their dependence on humanitarian aid. More than 473 households in three districts in the buffer zone of Eastern Ukraine have received cash grants to support their livelihood activities in agricultural sector under an ECHO-funded project. The project is aimed to support small agriculture activities, which/that will/would enable families to increase their income by selling their home-made products or the amount of food produced for their own consumption. PIN also supported 1,110 of the most vulnerable (inhabitants) through a “Cash for Work” project funded by the ECHO.
PIN remains committed to serving at-risk populations in conflict-affected communities throughout the Donbass. Together with ECHO, People in Need will continue to provide humanitarian aid to those most in need/to those who need it the most.
