“Imagine that part of your house has just disappeared and what’s left is burned down. This means you have no comfortable bed, nothing to cook with, no plates, no forks… nothing. You can’t take a shower with soap and shampoo, you have no clothes. This is the situation for many locals,” says Vasyl, a resident of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, reflecting on the time his house was destroyed.
Over the two years of war in Ukraine, we have heard thousands of such stories. Natalia’s family, from Kharkiv’s Bryhadyrivka village, nearly starved for two months. Yuriy from Pokrovsk, in the Donetsk region, had to live in the basement because of the shelling. Liudmyla’s child from Velyka Novosilka, terrified by the war, stopped talking. Svitlana and her husband Anatoliy found explosives in their small garden in Sloviansk. Sadly, we continue to hear stories like these every day, as the terrible times of war have not yet ended for the 14,6 million Ukrainians in need of humanitarian assistance.
For the past 731 days, war has been an unfortunate reality for Ukraine’s civilians, millions of whom have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and shelter. One in two internally displaced women and one in four internally displaced men have lost their jobs, and are finding it difficult to find work, especially in the western regions, which continue to host a significant influx of people. With governmental social assistance limited to about 2-3 thousand hryvnias per month (52-78 euros), it is difficult for these people to live a full life – every day they have to cut costs on basic needs.
Some civilians have been living in collective shelters or temporary housing for almost two years, or have moved several times from one place to another, an upsetting disruption from normal life that impacts their mental health. Many women now run their households alone after separation from their loved ones, and even more are vulnerable to violations of their rights. All these issues, paired with the bitterness of the irreversible loss of more than 10,000 people in Ukraine, exacerbate the symptoms of depression in many residents of Ukraine.
Honoring the victims of shelling of civilian infrastructure in Dnipro, January 2023. © Artur Ulianytskyi
Dorijka Consortium’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine
However, the war in Ukraine bears the names not only of those who suffered because of the conflict, but also of those who managed to start a new life with the help of humanitarian organizations. Thanks to Triangle Génération Humanitaire, Nastya, who suffered psychological trauma due to the war, overcame her grief and fear. Vera, who lives in a collective center, received medical care with the support of Première Urgence Internationale. In Mykolaiv, Kateryna’s children now have access to clean water thanks to SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL. Action contre la Faim provided financial assistance to Volodymyr, and Humanity & Inclusion provided physical rehabilitation sessions for Oleksiy.
These are just a few of the 797,100 people who have received assistance from the Dorijka consortium across 14 regions in Ukraine. Since July 2022, this consortium of five French NGOs has been providing humanitarian assistance in collective shelters, cities and rural areas, aiming to overcome the challenges caused by the war with support of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
In particular, Dorijka made it possible to deliver more than 50,000 liters of drinking water and more than 1,900 tons of humanitarian supplies to the affected population in the south of the country just a few days after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. By coordinating logistical support through warehouses in Mykolaiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv, Dorijka also distributes hygiene and winter kits to vulnerable people and improves their living conditions. The consortium has provided almost 52,500 outpatient medical consultations and conducted psychological counseling sessions to almost 28,500 people. In addition, Ukrainians have received financial assistance totaling 6,404 million dollars. Dorijka also creates jobs and provides training for local humanitarian workers, contributing to economic stability, which is critical given the war’s increase in poverty.
Civilian needs in the third year of the war
As Ukraine enters the third year of the full-scale conflict, the consortium still has a lot of work left. A prolonged war could lead to heightened unemployment, more expensive goods and services, lower living standards, and general economic instability. “I cannot work since I need to watch my child, so I really need support to be able to buy us food,”, says Valentyna from Mariupol, in the Donetsk region, who received cash assistance through Dorijka. “It is impossible to live today without this help so it needs to be continued”.
Valentyna’s house in Mariupol was destroyed by shelling, so she cannot return home. In total, more than 160,000 buildings and structures have been damaged during the war. Ivan, the head of the Kyselivka village in the Mykolaiv region, explains: “Between 60 and 70% of our houses got completely destroyed. People simply have nowhere to return to.”
As the war continues, it is likely to create further destruction of infrastructure and deterioration in civilians’ quality of life, particularly in remote areas where access to aid is limited. It is critical to be prepared for new waves of migration as the numbers of internally displaced people increase, along with an aggravated mental health crisis across Ukraine. At the same time, new legislation may be adopted, cutting certain benefits or making them dependent on registration in job search centers. For mothers like Valentyna, this would be a big problem.
The United Nations estimates that $4,2 billion is needed in 2024 to respond effectively to the growing crisis in Ukraine. This funding is important not only for the areas near the front line, but also for the west of the country, where millions of internally displaced people continue to settle, stressing social and public services. Despite the increasing needs, there is some fear that this region will gradually fall out of the scope of emergency funding.
Given these circumstances, alignment between humanitarian organizations and the public is critical. The Dorijka Consortium calls for continued unwavering humanitarian support for Ukraine and close coordination among humanitarian sector and the concerned public.
Heads of Consortium organizations on the priorities of humanitarian support in Ukraine in 2024
Nicolas Ben-Oliel, Première Urgence Internationale’s country director in Ukraine:
“In 2024, Premiere Urgence Internationale in Ukraine aims to continue focusing on delivering essential healthcare services, ensuring mental health and psychosocial support, providing protection and assistance to displaced populations, strengthening partnerships and collaboration with local stakeholders, government entities, and other humanitarian organizations to maximize the impact of the intervention and ensure a sustainable response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.”
Eric Fort, Action contre la Faim’s country director in Ukraine:
“Continued air strikes on civilians and the infrastructure essential to their survival threaten to further deteriorate the living conditions of the Ukrainian population, particularly in areas close to the front line where humanitarian aid is struggling to get through. In 2024, Action Against Hunger (ACF), in collaboration with local partners, will continue to support communities affected by the conflict in the west, east and south of the country. Our operations will aim to strengthen food security, particularly for displaced people, facilitate access to primary healthcare and psychological support, and guarantee access to water, hygiene and sanitation.”
Mhadeb Ben Khelifa, Triangle Génération humanitaire’s country director in Ukraine:
“In 2024, Triangle Generation Humanitaire will continue interventions in critical area close to population affected by the crisis by improving access to basic services and providing protection support through its Psychosocial support, Legal Aid and Case Management interventions. By focusing its efforts on the areas already identified in the East, South and Central Ukraine while responding to sudden emergencies throughout the year by providing a holistic, multi-sectoral response to the affected population.”
Beatrice Malasoma, interim country director for Humanity & Inclusion
“Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is currently developing its 2024-2026 operational strategy. The main sectors of intervention are health (rehabilitation and psychosocial support), protection and inclusion, armed violence reduction, and logistical support through Atlas logistique. HI focuses on responding to the most acute needs in the East, consolidating HI access to the hard-to-reach and most in need areas, developing strong partnerships, and leveraging its sector expertise to include longer-term intervention modalities, while maintaining emergency response capacity.”
Mathieu Nabot, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL’s country director in Ukraine:
“In 2024 SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL in Ukraine aims both at responding to the acute basic needs of the most vulnerable populations in conflict affected areas as well as contributing to the creation of conducive conditions to a dignified return in stable de-occupied rural areas. With Ukraine entering its third year of war, it remains crucial to provide assistance for basic needs and strengthen local authorities and services’ capacity to deliver essential services.”
