Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
Help families who've been forced to flee conflict - leaving behind jobs, belongings and loved ones.
Ivanna*, 59, receives a food parcel from CAFOD’s local partner Depaul Ukraine at their Humanitarian Centre for people who have lost their homes in Odesa, Ukraine. (Photo credit: Maciek Musialek/DEC)
It has been three years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At least 6.8 million people have fled abroad to escape the conflict and another 3.6 million people remain displaced within the country.
Our sister Caritas agencies and partner organisations are helping people across Ukraine and the wider region. Your generous contributions to the Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal have helped over 185,000 vulnerable women, men and children access vital aid including food, water, shelter and psychological counselling.
Thanks to you, our local partners are helping people to rebuild their lives after the trauma of losing loved ones, homes and livelihoods.
The need in Ukraine remains high
Over 12 million people, or one out of every three Ukrainians, require urgent humanitarian assistance. Millions are struggling to make ends meet after losing their jobs and homes. Fighting continues to rage in the east and south, displacing more families every day. Few nights of sleep are not interrupted by the klaxon wail of the air raid siren, signalling yet more destruction.
With your support and prayers, we continue to reach those who are caught up in this conflict and often left with nothing.
Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal
With your help, we can keep supporting the increasing number of families who are in desperate need.
Your donations will help local experts in Ukraine to keep providing:
food
water
healthcare
shelter and clothing
counselling.
How is CAFOD responding in Ukraine 3 years on?
We are part of one of the largest aid networks in the world – Caritas Internationalis – and, because of our global reach and local presence, we are there when an emergency hits.
Our Ukrainian and neighbouring Caritas local aid workers and volunteers are part of the communities they work with and many are displaced by the war themselves. They understand people’s immediate needs and are best placed to respond.
Our current Caritas partners include:
Caritas Ukraine has 40 regional centres across the country and are one of the largest Ukrainian organisations delivering humanitarian aid. They are extremely experienced, having been active for 30 years and have been responding to the conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
Caritas-Spes Ukraine is a charity of the Religious Mission of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine. Caritas-Spes has seven regional branches and is active in all regions of Ukraine.
Caritas Spis (Slovakia) has been supporting people who have fled Ukraine to Slovakia since early 2022. Earlier in the response, CAFOD also supported Caritas Poland, Caritas Romania and Caritas Moldova.
CAFOD is also working with two non-Caritas partners in Ukraine and Romania:
Depaul Ukraine has worked with homeless people in Ukraine since 2007. At the start of the conflict, Depaul began providing humanitarian aid services to people affected by the fighting or who have fled their homes. They now support up to 30,000 of the most vulnerable Ukrainians each day and deliver most of their services in the hardest-to-reach conflict affected areas in the east and south.
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) runs centres across the country that have provided dignified and safe spaces for thousands of Ukrainian families, supporting them to access services and learn to navigate the Romanian system. Many of JRS Romania’s staff are Ukrainian refugees themselves and are deeply attuned to the needs and realities of the community.
Pray for Ukraine
Pray for peace in Ukraine and throughout the world.
Hold a church collection
Find resources to guide church collections for the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
How your donations have helped
We have been working with Caritas organisations in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to meet the urgent needs of communities affected by the conflict since the full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.
Due to the conflict, an estimated 5 million people (15% of the country) are experiencing food insecurity and more than 9 million are in urgent need of healthcare services. Our local partners Caritas Ukraine and Depaul Ukraine have been distributing food baskets and drinking water, and offering hot meals, emergency medical support and hygiene kits to those in greatest need – primarily women, children, older people and those with special needs.
To date, your donations have helped us to provide food to over 120,000 women, men and children, and emergency health services to over 20,000 people.
Depaul Ukraine worker Marko* prepares food packages for distribution at one of Depaul Ukraine's warehouses in Odesa, Ukraine.
“Depaul is constantly adjusting projects to meet people's greatest needs - it's our biggest challenge and our priority. We are prioritising in-kind needs [material aid] around the frontline, and as you move away from it, we are supporting people who are more in need of mental health counselling, employment, and housing.”
Surviving the harsh winter
Three years of shelling, airstrikes and other destruction from the war has left thousands of people in Ukraine living in damaged buildings or completely homeless. Over 2 million houses have been damaged, and targeted attacks on public infrastructure have devastated the power grid, disrupting access to electricity and heating.
CAFOD has been working with local partners Depaul Ukraine and Caritas Ukraine in frontline cities like Kharkiv and Odesa which have endured the heaviest attacks. We are providing housing to internally displaced people and people experiencing homelessness, repairing damaged homes, and distributing warm clothing and fuel to keep people warm during the harsh winter in which temperatures can drop to -20°C.
To date, your support has helped CAFOD to provide over 15,000 Ukrainians with emergency shelter, home repairs and warm clothing and fuel.
Dealing with trauma
Mental health issues are emerging as a hidden epidemic as the war enters its third year. Families who have lost their homes and loved ones continue to live under the constant threat of bombs and drone attacks.
As the Ukrainian government has stepped up its conscription efforts, a growing number of men avoid leaving their houses for fear of being conscripted. In this atmosphere of constant stress, 63% of households have reported experiencing mental health issues, while 1.5 million children are estimated to be at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Trauma, stress and anxiety caused by the conflict are also closely linked with domestic violence and alcoholism.
CAFOD is working with Depaul Ukraine’s mobile teams of psychologists, who are offering individual counselling and group therapy sessions in hard-to-reach villages in eastern Ukraine, in places where people have endured three years of constant bombardment and loss. We are also working with Caritas-Spes’ and Caritas Ukraine’s trained mental health teams who are helping families displaced from eastern to western Ukraine to process their trauma and adapt to new surroundings.
To date, your support has helped CAFOD to provide over 11,000 Ukrainians impacted by the conflict with mental health and psychosocial support services.
Combatting human trafficking
Prior to the conflict in 2022, Ukraine already experienced high rates of human trafficking. The risks have only increased due to the conflict: since February 2022, around 90 per cent of those who have fled the country are women and children who are especially vulnerable to trafficking. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime predicts trafficking cases of Ukrainians in Europe increased by tens of thousands following the full-scale invasion.
CAFOD has been working with Caritas Ukraine’s team of experts to identify and help survivors of sex or labour trafficking and their family members process their trauma and rebuild their lives. We are also raising awareness among the most vulnerable groups such as teenagers and internally-displaced persons to prevent future instances of human trafficking.
Caritas Ukraine trained specialist working with a young survivor of human exploitation
What can I do to help?
We continue to support those most affected by the conflict in Ukraine. When the emergency needs of families affected by the Ukraine conflict have been met and international attention turns to other crises, our partners are committed to be there in the long-term to ensure that the communities you are helping can rebuild and heal.
Please donate to our appeal to help support our efforts. Please pray for lasting peace and those affected by this crisis.
“I am truly proud of our team that are working hard to look to the needs of the most vulnerable, while managing their own circumstances as well. We are grateful for the outpouring of support from our partners and people of good will from abroad.”