Crisis in Ukraine: How To Help
Project HOPE is on the ground responding to the health and humanitarian needs of communities affected by Russia's violent attacks on Ukraine. Learn more about this ongoing crisis and how you can help.
The crisis in Ukraine has spiraled into a widespread humanitarian catastrophe. Civilians and medical workers have been killed and millions of Ukrainians have been displaced by the conflict. Project HOPE is on the ground in Ukraine, Poland, and Moldova supporting health workers and providing primary health, mental health, and protection services to Ukrainians, refugees, and host communities.
What You Need To Know
>> Read our latest Situation Report on the Ukraine crisis
>> Read our one-year Ukraine Impact Report
>> See our latest updates from the ground
>> How you can help
>> What are the greatest needs in Ukraine?
>> Our work in Eastern Europe
>> Project HOPE In The News
On February 24, 2022, the Russian military attempted a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has since occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine and launched thousands of deadly missile and drone attacks across the country’s 24 oblasts. Thousands of civilians have been killed or injured and millions have been displaced by the ongoing conflict. The entire population of Ukraine — more than 36 million people — is living through unimaginable atrocities and enduring multiple humanitarian crises.
Russia’s invasion initially devastated Ukraine’s health care system, especially in communities that were on the front lines of the conflict. In the first weeks and months, the infrastructure to deliver food and medicine in many cities had been destroyed. Pharmacies and stores had been emptied, and many hospitals and health facilities were targeted and destroyed by Russian forces. Project HOPE mobilized quickly to deliver lifesaving medicines, medical supplies, generators, and other essential emergency response items to hospitals and other facilities throughout Ukraine.
Ukraine’s health system continues to be deeply affected by the conflict — more than 1,067 health facilities have been attacked since the conflict began — but Project HOPE is working hand in hand with local health workers, government officials, and other partners to meet the health and humanitarian needs of Ukraine’s resilient communities.
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Since March 2022, our team has opened seven regional offices in Ukraine and supported health facilities in all 24 oblasts. Project HOPE is focused on strengthening the country’s health system by training local health workers and providing primary health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to communities affected by the violence.
The conflict has also had a profound impact on neighboring countries that have taken in large numbers of refugees, with both Ukrainian refugees and host communities in Poland, Moldova, and Romania experiencing gaps in essential services, including primary health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and protection services. Project HOPE has previously partnered with local organizations in all three countries and continues to support the health and humanitarian needs in Poland and Moldova.
Since February 2022, Project HOPE has:
Where is Ukraine?
Ukraine is in eastern Europe and is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia. Ukraine borders Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, Russia, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. Ukraine was a part of the former Soviet Union and gained full independence with the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. in 1991.
Ukraine has been divided among regional and ethnic lines since its independence and has experienced multiple conflicts. In 2014, the Russian annexation of Crimea and the Donbas War in eastern Ukraine caused 10,000 civilian casualties, internally displaced 1.4 million, and created a humanitarian crisis that impacted nearly 3 million people at the time.
What are the greatest needs in Ukraine?
The fighting has had a profound impact on the lives and livelihoods of Ukrainians. More than 5 million people have made the difficult decision to leave their homes for safer parts of Ukraine and 6 million are now refugees in other countries. Between February 24 and May 5, 2022, one-third of Ukraine’s entire population had been displaced by the conflict.
Project HOPE staff and local partners have noted that most Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Moldova, and Romania are women and children, though older adults and Ukrainians with disabilities have also made the difficult decision to leave their home country. The massive displacement of people has caused significant gaps in essential services for both Ukrainian refugees and host communities in Poland, Moldova, and Romania. Project HOPE is working with local partners to provide those affected with primary health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), and protection services.
Your support saves lives. Help us reach people around the world today.
In Ukraine, Russian attacks have caused extensive damage to infrastructure — from schools and hospitals to gas and electricity lines — which has limited access to essential goods and services. Before the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam caused significant flooding and limited the region’s access to safe drinking water, Project HOPE had been providing drinking water to recently liberated villages in Kherson Oblast — which allowed our team to quickly scale up our efforts and deliver a total of 340,000 bottles of drinking water. Project HOPE continues to coordinate with local governments and partners to support communities impacted by the destruction of essential infrastructure.
Project HOPE’s History in Eastern Europe
Ukraine
Project HOPE began working in Ukraine in 2002 with a life-skills program focused on drug use prevention, HIV prevention, and education for children in primary schools. In 2007, Project HOPE began a five-year, USAID-funded HIV/AIDS Service Capacity project in Ukraine, which focused on the mobilization of communities most at risk of contracting and transmitting the disease.
From 2012-2017, Project HOPE helped improve the health of Ukrainians by partnering with the Government of Ukraine to decrease the incidence and strain of tuberculosis (TB) on Ukraine’s health system and improve outcomes for people living with TB.
Poland
Project HOPE has supported Poland’s health system for nearly 50 years. In 1974, Project HOPE was invited to assist the Polish-American Children’s Hospital (PACH) — now University Children’s Hospital of Krakow — to create education programs for health professionals serving the hospital. By 1975, Project HOPE had completed a medical research facility adjacent to the hospital, and then in 1988 a 240-bed rehabilitation center was built.
We continue to work with University Children’s Hospital in Krakow to meet the needs of Ukrainian refugees, including the opening of a mental health and psychosocial support center for refugees and two refugee child playrooms. Through our local partners, Project HOPE has helped more than 7,500 children from Ukrainian refugee families access medical services, provided mental health services to more than 8,292 Ukrainian refugees and host community members, and supported more than 800 Ukrainian refugees with disabilities with physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and psychological support services.
Moldova
To support the needs of Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan families, Project HOPE partnered with The Moldova Project to establish nine child playrooms in Moldova — which gave Project HOPE’s local partners the space necessary to provide 7,662 Ukrainian refugees and Moldovan families, including 4,581 children, with MHPSS services, food, hygiene kits, and medical vouchers. Project HOPE provided a grant of $260,000 to The Moldova Project (TMP) to establish these safe spaces and provide child refugees, their caregivers, and children from Moldovan families in vulnerable positions with education and social integration services.
Project HOPE provided a grant worth $140,165 to the local organization Regina Pacis to set up a Holistic Assistance Center for Ukrainian refugees and families in vulnerable positions in Moldova. The Center has provided 2,159 people with medical and psychological assistance, referrals to health services, information on how to access education services, asylum procedure assistance, and/or employment aid.
Project HOPE also awarded a grant worth $117,929 to Casa Marioarei (The Association Against Domestic Violence), which has since provided its GBV prevention, job and livelihood training, and social integration services to 2,462 Ukrainian refugees and host community members, including 809 children.
In 2022, Project HOPE delivered 86,500 insulin pens and 45 Interagency Emergency Health Kits to the Ministry of Health in Moldova. Project HOPE also delivered 500 sleeping pads to refugee shelters and 2,160 hygiene kits to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection for distribution to shelters, women and child centers, and other facilities. Project HOPE also previously supported an Emergency Medical Team (EMT) from SAMU, which provided emergency and ongoing medical services and medications to around 1,800 refugees in the first four months of the war.
Romania
In Romania, Project HOPE partnered with five local organizations to provide relief to Ukrainian refugees seeking safety, including mental health support. Our team on the ground has distributed hygiene kits that include toothpaste, toothbrushes, diapers, and more for refugees.
Project HOPE also provided a local organization, La Rascruce Association, with a grant worth $129,839 to support Ukrainian refugees crossing into Romania through the Sculeni border point. La Rascruce staff and volunteers provided Ukrainian refugees with vital information, registration support, and basic needs such as hot meals, water, hygiene items, transportation, and accommodation. Our partner also provided refugees with MHPSS services, Romanian classes, and vouchers that can be used to buy essential supplies at their Integration and Relocation Center in Iasi, Romania. From January to June 2023, La Rascruce supported a total of 9,562 Ukrainian refugees.
How you can help Ukraine
The war in Ukraine has displaced millions of people and led to a humanitarian catastrophe that impacts women, children, families, and entire communities made vulnerable by this crisis. If you want to help, here’s how you can get involved:1. Make a lifesaving gift to support our work now and for the future. Project HOPE stands ready to assist the Ukrainian people with health and humanitarian aid, both in Ukraine and in surrounding countries. Our emergency response team and European partners are sending critically needed medicines, medical supplies, and mental health support as the crisis unfolds. Please join our efforts by making a lifesaving gift to our Ukraine response today so we can continue supporting the needs of those affected by this crisis.
2. Fundraise for Ukraine by streaming on Tiltify to raise money for Project HOPE. If you’re a content creator, you can start a charity stream on Tiltify to Stream for HOPE and raise funds for Project HOPE’s mission. Tag us on social @projectHOPEorg to let us know about your charity stream so we can thank you!
3. Interested in an employee giving campaign for Ukraine? Please contact us – we are happy to help.
4. Stay up-to-date on this story and our lifesaving work around the world by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and help spread the word about our response.
Updates
Project HOPE recently donated 400 hospital beds, including mattresses, bed linen sets, blankets, pillows, and bed covers, to the Ministry of Health of Moldova worth $81,200. The hospital beds will be distributed to three psychiatric hospitals in Chisinau, Balti, and Orhei as per the Ministry of Health request as follows:
- 250 beds to the Clinical Psychiatry Hospital in Chisinau municipality,
- 100 beds to the Balti Psychiatry Hospital in Balti,
- 50 beds to the Orhei Psychiatry Hospital in Orhei
All three psychiatric hospitals sent letters of gratitude to Project HOPE staff expressing their deep gratitude for the desperately needed assistance.
“Neither the lack of electricity, nor the lack of heating or this conflict will stop us from working hard to provide strong and high-quality health services to Ukrainian refugees and to the people in Moldova,” stated the Moldovan Minister of Health, Ala Nemerenco.
Project HOPE has completed an initial needs assessment after the liberation of Kherson to identify the greatest health needs in the city. Project HOPE was among the first humanitarian organizations to arrive in Kherson and also delivered an initial procurement of more than 700 hygiene kits to those in need.
“The road from Odesa to Kherson is marked by villages that have been destroyed and roads severely damaged,” said Artem Murach, Project HOPE’s Ukraine Information Officer who deployed as part of the team. “Ruined bridges, burned vehicles lying upside down, missiles stuck in the ground and mines are just a part of what Russians left. Some small villages on the way seem to be completely wiped out. Local people are reported to have been hiding in their cellars for months, without seeing what’s happening.”
Medical needs are high in the city following months of occupation. One former doctor at a hospital Project HOPE assessed told our team that they expect a higher influx of patients from rural areas, where the situation was described as “catastrophic.”
Other challenges that were highlighted included a lack of fuel, water, and electricity, which could especially impact the large portion of the elderly population that has chronic diseases. There are also serious staff shortages and only 10 ambulances left in the city. There are no vehicles for transporting the patients who need urgent care and need to be evacuated.
Based on these challenges, the primary needs to come include diesel fuel, clean water, vaccinations, medicines, specialists, vehicles, and mobile medical clinics.
Project HOPE, in collaboration with Momentum Wheels for Humanity, has donated more than 300 wheelchairs and mobility equipment to Motivation Romania to distribute to beneficiaries from Ukraine and Romania. At a recent handover event, which was also attended by staff from Motivation Romania and UNHCR, three children and an adult received wheelchairs that were adapted to meet their specific needs.
“The generous donation made by Project HOPE and Momentum Wheels for Humanity contributes to our goal of securing resources to meet the diverse individual needs of persons with mobility disabilities identified by our regional teams,” said Cristian Ispas, General Manager of Motivation Romania Foundation.
Mobility equipment, namely wheelchairs for adults and children and walking frames, will be assembled and prepared for delivery in the Motivation workshop, with some going to Ukraine for distribution inside Ukraine. All wheelchairs are expected to be donated between October 2022 and October 2023, based on individual assessments made by the Motivation professionals from all over the country, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
As we near the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Project HOPE has prepared a report detailing the impact donors have had through the first four months of this crisis.
The three-page report, which is available here, includes impact numbers, photos, and information about all areas of our response, which stretches across Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, and Romania.
In the first four months of our response, Project HOPE has delivered $4.7 million in pharmaceuticals and medical commodities, along with more than 300 pallets of gravely needed medicines and medical supplies. We have supported 50 health facilities in Ukraine, distributed more than 20,000 hygiene kits, rehabilitated health facilities in four cities, and launched three mobile medical units. Outside the country, our refugee response has provided mental health support and direct patient care to thousands of Ukrainians in need.
In all areas of our response, Project HOPE has endeavored to promote the localization of aid through collaboration, partnership, and strengthening the capacity of local non-governmental organizations. This approach was essential to the delivery of aid during the earliest and most acute phase of the crisis and we remain committed to it as our response grows and evolves in order to support sustainable solutions and promote more resilient communities.
As of May 5, 7.7 million Ukrainians have now been internally displaced by fighting and another 5.7 million have been forced to flee their country entirely. Together, the two figures comprise almost one-third of Ukraine’s entire population.
Inside Ukraine, Project HOPE is now providing training to physicians in Lviv to manage orthopedic trauma caused by ballistics. We have now imported more than 200 pallets of medicine and medical supplies, including insulin, needles, hygiene kits, and more for distribution to hospitals in need. Our team has also begun rehabilitating a hospital in Irpin as well as a kindergarten in Zagalci.
Project HOPE continues to respond to the most pressing health needs inside Ukraine as well as across the broader region.
In Moldova, Project HOPE’s support is helping provide health care and screenings for Ukrainian refugees who have just crossed the border. Almost all refugees who are crossing are women or children, and these mobile clinics — which are staffed by SAMU, a Spanish NGO — are helping ensure that refugees have immediate health care support once they leave the country. Project HOPE has previously partnered with SAMU after emergencies like Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Honduras.
Project HOPE’s response to the Ukraine crisis continues to expand inside and around Ukraine, including the delivery of two Interagency Health Kits into Lviv, Ukraine today. These kits will provide enough primary health care medication to provide for 20,000 people over the next three months.
Project HOPE is also facilitating the transport of five pallets of anesthesia and injectables from Krakow into Lviv this week. Additional IEHKs will be transported into Ukraine next week, as well as International Health Partner UK’s Emergency Health Packs and other supplies.
To date, Project HOPE’s support has included the delivery of essential medicines, medical equipment, and consumables as well as hygiene kits and other non-food items like towels and bedding. Project HOPE’s teams are also working with partners and developing action plans to address health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), additional non-food items, protection, and water and hygiene needs in Ukraine and among refugees.
As airstrikes draw closer to the western city of Lviv, Project HOPE delivered a large shipment of antibiotics, surgical supplies, and other medical necessities to First Emergency Territorial Hospital in Lviv this morning.
Project HOPE’s Emergency Response Team stayed at the hospital over the weekend and was also able to provide badly-needed medical supplies, including cardiac sutures that were used in a heart transplant at the hospital.
More relief for Ukraine is on the way: We are also mobilizing two Interagency Health Kits (IEHKs) to Ukraine, which are expected to arrive later this week, as well as two pallets of International Health Partner UK’s Emergency Health Packs, which are expected to arrive next week in Lviv. Project HOPE is also supporting a Ukrainian non-governmental organization so that they can purchase and transport pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to civilian hospitals throughout the country.
Project HOPE’s response continues to expand in Poland, Moldova, and Romania, including support for a mobile medical team that is treating refugee children crossing the Ukraine/Moldova border.
Read more about our response in our latest situation report here.
Project HOPE continues to coordinate with local NGOs, hospitals, and government officials across Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as the WHO Health and Logistics Clusters, Ministries of Health, and other authorities.
In Poland, Project HOPE is procuring key medical supplies to be delivered to a neonatal hospital in Kyiv through a local Polish partner. Project HOPE is supporting a non-governmental organization in Kyiv to purchase and transport medicines and medical supplies to civilian hospitals. We continue to assess health needs in the Dnipro region, including for those who are internally displaced.
In Moldova, Project HOPE is procuring and delivering key medical supplies to the Ministry of Health to serve refugees. This support includes an Interagency Emergency Health Kit that can support 10,000 people. In Romania, Project HOPE is sourcing hygiene kits, medical supplies, and medicines for transport into Ukraine as well as for the refugee population.
Project HOPE will continue to closely monitor the situation as it unfolds in order to respond to the most pressing health and humanitarian needs among affected populations.
As the number of Ukrainian refugees exceeds 1 million, Project HOPE emergency response teams remain on the ground in Poland, Romania, and Moldova to coordinate with local organizations in and around Ukraine to support Ukrainians during the ongoing crisis.
Our immediate focus is on continuing to source and ship essential medicines and medical supplies for primary health and trauma care to affected areas, including hygiene kits, Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs), insulin, and more.
Some of the medicines included in the kit include amoxicillin, paracetamol, tetracycline, iodine, and oral rehydration salts. Each kit also includes medical supplies like tape, gauze, gloves, buckets, instrument trays, scissors, soap, surgical scrub brushes, and jerry cans.
IEHKs are critical tools to provide basic and primary health care in areas where there is no access to health facilities. The two kits that are included in Project HOPE’s initial shipment will be able to help meet the immediate medical needs of tens of thousands of people over the coming months.