Crisis in Ukraine: How To Help
Project HOPE is on the ground responding to the Ukraine crisis and is actively shipping essential medicines and medical supplies to assist Ukrainians. Learn more about this crisis and how you can help.
The situation on the ground in Ukraine is urgent. Civilians and medical workers have been killed and millions of Ukrainians have fled home seeking safety.
Your support saves lives. Help us reach vulnerable children and families around the world today.
The crisis in Ukraine has spiraled into a widespread humanitarian catastrophe.
Millions of people are in urgent need both inside Ukraine and in surrounding countries. As conflict intensifies inside Ukraine, Project HOPE is on the ground in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and Moldova actively delivering medicines, medical supplies, mental health support, and other urgent assistance. Immediate medical support is needed to prevent the country from spiraling even deeper into a humanitarian crisis that could impact tens of millions of people.
Your support saves lives. Help us reach vulnerable children and families around the world today.
How Project HOPE is Responding
>> Read our latest Situation Report on the Ukraine crisis
>> Jump to how you can help
>> What are the greatest needs in Ukraine?
Latest Update: Project HOPE Begins Rehabilitating Hospital in Bucha
Project HOPE’s emergency programming in Ukraine continues to focus on supporting local primary and secondary health facilities through essential medical equipment and supplies. Our refugee response in Moldova, Poland, and Romania has identified local partners to target gaps in essential services, including primary health, mental health, and protection.
Project HOPE has created four humanitarian hubs in Ukraine (Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odessa) with dedicated warehouses and full teams. We have begun rehabilitation of a hospital in Irpin and a kindergarten in Zagalci and have completed the rehabilitation of a hospital in Bucha.
Our mental health work continues to expand. In Moldova, we are working with two local NGOs to launch a mental health response in central Moldova and in border towns and villages. In Poland, meanwhile, we have provided a grant to Podkarpackie Stowarzyszenie dla Aktywnych Rodzin (PSAR) for the provision of mental health support to Ukrainian refugees.
Learn more in our latest situation report here.
May 6, 2022: Project HOPE Expanding Operations; Nearly One-Third of Ukraine Now Displaced
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.
April 29, 2022: Project HOPE Rehabilitating Hospital in Irpin
Project HOPE continues to scale up our response in Ukraine, with offices opening in Lviv, Kyiv, and Dnipro. As part of our response, we are beginning rehabilitation of a hospital in Irpin, in addition to identifying hospitals and schools for rehabilitation in the Kharkiv area.
This crisis continues to have serious impacts on surrounding countries. In countries such as Moldova, essential supplies (e.g., insulin) are becoming scarce or incredibly costly. Even in Poland, health facilities are struggling to meet an influx of communicable, chronic, and advanced health conditions. All bordering countries are struggling to find enough licensed professionals to provide essential mental health and psychosocial services (MHPSS), such as psychological first aid (PFA). Meanwhile, the arrival of highly vulnerable populations—especially women, children, and unaccompanied minors from Ukraine —poses severe protection risks, particularly for human trafficking and gender-based violence.
Project HOPE is working with two local NGOs in Moldova to launch a mental health response in central Moldova and in border towns and villages. In Poland, we are developing a partnership with a local organization providing key mental health services to refugees in Krakow. We are also supporting four local NGOs to provide mental health and primary health support to refugees, as well as hygiene needs. One of these NGOs has provided crisis intervention trainings for over 1,000 participants and is preparing a workshop in May for refugee mothers titled “How to Talk to Your Children about War.” Another partner is providing free consultations with a primary health care physician and a psychiatrist for refugees in the Bucharest area.
>> Learn more in our latest situation report here.
April 22, 2022: Project HOPE Establishing Three Hubs of Support Inside Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine has now displaced 7.1 million Ukrainians to date. The most pressing needs among this population are cash and financial support, transportation, food, shelter, and hygiene items. Many are also in need of medicines and health services. The humanitarian conditions for those who remain in their homes are also severe: Over 1.4 million people are without running water in Eastern Ukraine and an additional 1.6 million across the country are in immediate risk of losing their access. Many others face significant protection, food, and health risks.
Project HOPE’s support to health facilities and IDPs in Ukraine continues to scale up in response to the overwhelming needs. We are establishing focus on three hubs of support in West Ukraine, East Ukraine, and the Kyiv area with potential expansion to Odessa and Kherson and other areas as security allows.
We have also imported more than 150 pallets of medicine and medical supplies to date, including Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs), Essential Health Packs (EHPs), Trauma and Emergency Surgery Kits (TESKs), first aid kits, prenatal supplements, hygiene kits, and infant kits. These supplies have been delivered to hospitals across Lviv, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltova and Kharkiv.
We are also establishing a trauma care training model to roll out to medical professionals on the front lines.
>> Read more in our latest situation report here.
April 15, 2022: Project HOPE Providing Thousands of Doses of Insulin in Ukraine
Project HOPE continues to scale up operations in Eastern Europe to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Our teams in Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine bring technical knowledge on health, mental health, protection, and other sectors with considerable field experience, and a strong relationship with local and international actors to forge a targeted and comprehensive response.
This week, more than 7,900 doses of insulin reached Project HOPE’s warehouse in Lviv and are now en route to Kharkiv. Project HOPE has imported more than 100 pallets of medicine and medical supplies to date, including Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs), Essential Health Packs (EHPs), Trauma and Emergency Surgery Kits (TESKs), first aid kits, prenatal supplements, hygiene kits, and infant kits. These supplies have been delivered to six hospitals across Lviv, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Poltova and Kharkiv.
In Moldova, Project HOPE has procured more than 300 wheelchairs to be distributed to a local organization serving Ukrainian refugees. We also continue to support SAMU’s Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) to serve refugees crossing the Ukraine/Moldova border as per the request of the WHO and Moldovan Ministry of Health. The most prevalent diagnoses have included hypertension, upper respiratory infections, and acute mental health issues.
>> Read the latest update in our full situation report, available here.
April 12, 2022: Project HOPE’s Rabih Torbay Visits Medical Facilities in Kyiv
Project HOPE President and CEO Rabih Torbay is in Ukraine assessing the impacts of the war on the country’s health care system. On Wednesday, he joined CNN’s Victor Blackwell to discuss what he saw inside a trauma ward in Kyiv and how the conflict has impacted the country’s civilians.
>> You can read Rabih’s full reflections and see photos from his trip here.
April 5, 2022: 100 Pallets of Pharmaceuticals and Supplies Headed to Lviv
Project HOPE is partnering with a non-governmental organization in Ukraine to purchase and transport pharmaceuticals and medical supplies across the country. This coming week, Project HOPE is transporting 100 pallets of pharmaceuticals and supplies, including insulin, needles, sutures, and gauzes into Lviv for onward distribution into the country. Our team on the ground is also conducting assessments of health facilities to determine needs and how Project HOPE and partners can best fulfill gaps.
Read more in our full situation report here.
March 31, 2022: Project HOPE Importing 47 Pallets of Relief in Ukraine
In response to the ongoing crisis, Project HOPE has strategically placed teams in Ukraine and the three largest refugee recipient countries: Moldova, Poland, and Romania. Project HOPE is partnering with actors on the ground—including government officials, local relief organizations, and INGOs—to provide critical relief to conflict-affected populations on both sides of Ukraine’s borders.
In Ukraine, Project HOPE is importing 47 pallets of hygiene kits, vitamins, and medical supplies in Lviv for onward distribution. These items are expected in Ukraine early next and week will be delivered westward by Project HOPE’s partner in Ukraine.
Read the full update in our latest situation report here.
March 28, 2022: Project HOPE Delivers Five IEHKs Into Ukraine
Project HOPE continues to rapidly scale up activities in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Romania, with team leads, medical coordinators, mental health specialists, and logisticians in place. We continue to procure and deliver medical supplies into Ukraine, as well as to support local NGOs in providing support to impacted populations.
In Ukraine, Project HOPE recently delivered five Interagency Emergency Health Kits to Lviv, which are now headed for onward distribution eastward. These medicines and medical supplies will support tens of thousands of Ukrainians over the coming months.
Read more about our full regional response in our latest situation report here.
March 25, 2022: Project HOPE Supplying New Ward for Ukrainian Children in Poland
Project HOPE’s dual approach to the impact of the conflict has focused on providing support inside Ukraine through medical resupply as well as mental health and protection initiatives, as well as support to the refugee populations in Moldova, Poland, and Romania.
In Poland, we’re working with Krakow Children’s Hospital to supply a new ward for Ukrainian children, including the procurement of pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and more. The surge of additional patients to the hospitals has necessitated additional space and personnel to serve the Ukrainian population, and Project HOPE has had an extensive, multi-decade relationship with Krakow Children’s Hospital.
Project HOPE continues to expand our partnerships and activities across the region, including working with Estuar Foundation in Romania to provide mental health training to health professionals and providing mental health consultations to Ukrainian refugees in Romania.
Read more in our full situation report here.
March 21, 2022: More Relief Arrives in Ukraine; First Shipment to Odessa This Week
Project HOPE continues to scale up our response in Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine as the violence continues and the number of refugees increases. In the last few days, Project HOPE successfully moved shipments from Poland into Ukraine and is anticipating a shipment from Moldova to be transported into Odessa this week.
We’re working with government officials in Romania to import medicines, medical supplies, and other humanitarian goods into Ukraine, and exploring multiple supply routes to get these supplies to where they need to go.
We’ve provided grants to a number of small NGOs supporting refugees in Romania and anticipate releasing more funds to NGOs in Poland this week, including for mental health and psychological first aid support. Additionally, our team in Ukraine is exploring the expansion of programming from medical resupply into psychosocial, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene support.
Read the full report in our latest situation report on Ukraine here.
March 18, 2022: Project HOPE Supporting Mobile Medical Units in Moldova
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.
March 17, 2022: Two More Shipments of Aid Arrive in Lviv
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.
Read more in our latest situation report here.
March 14, 2022: Project HOPE Delivers 22 Pallets of Antibiotics and Surgical Supplies to Lviv
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.
March 10, 2022: Project HOPE Supporting Mental Health Efforts in Romania
The number of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance in Ukraine has quadrupled in just two weeks, with 12 million people now in need of lifesaving support. Our recent assessments in Ukraine indicate severe and worsening shortages of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies as infrastructure and supply routes are destroyed by Russian forces. Polish officials have told our team that 9 out of every 10 refugees crossing into Poland now have no contacts in the country, and three-fourths of them are from Eastern Ukraine.
Project HOPE is expanding our team in Lviv to increase our support inside the country, in addition to our teams on the ground in Moldova, Poland, and Romania. Our second shipment of medical supplies to Ukraine is expected to arrive at a children’s hospital in Lviv this week.
In Moldova, we are supporting a mobile medical team to serve refugees crossing the border at the request of the WHO and the Moldovan Ministry of Health. We’re also procuring and delivering key non-food items like blankets, bedding, and towels for refugees.
In Romania, Project HOPE is supporting local NGOs to provide mental health support to refugees, as well as hygiene and shelter needs. We’re also sourcing hygiene kits, medical supplies, and medicines for refugees as well as those inside Ukraine.
Read our latest situation report on the crisis here.
March 9, 2022: Second Shipment of Medical Supplies Being Delivered to Ukraine
Project HOPE’s response to the Ukraine crisis continues to expand across the region, including a second shipment of medical supplies that is being delivered this week to a neonatal hospital in Kyiv. Meanwhile, Project HOPE is also expanding the capacity for a Ukranian non-governmental organization in Kyiv to purchase and transport medicines and medical supplies to civilian hospitals in the country. We continue to assess health needs across Ukraine, including in Lviv and Kyiv, and are working to establish transit routes to get medicines and medical supplies in.
In Moldova, Project HOPE is procuring and delivering key medical supplies to the Ministry of Health to serve refugees. These supplies include an Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK), hygiene kits, and Non-Food Items (NFIs). Our team is also assessing needs and contingency planning for health facilities in Poland as refugee numbers increase demand on the Polish health system.
In Romania, Project HOPE is identifying local partners for Mental Health and Sexual Gender-Based Violence support for refugees. We are also sourcing hygiene kits, medical supplies, and medicines for transport into Ukraine as well as for the refugee population. Our team is also establishing a relationship with a key partner to send supplies into Odessa.
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.
You can read our latest situation report here.
March 4, 2022: Medical Supplies Being Delivered to Neonatal Hospital in Kyiv
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.
Learn more in our newest situation report here.
March 2, 2022: Project HOPE Emergency Response Teams at Ukraine Border
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.
February 28, 2022: Project HOPE Is on the Ground in Ukraine and Surrounding Countries
Project HOPE is working with the WHO Health Cluster and Logistics Cluster as well as the Ukrainian Ministry of Health and other authorities.
February 26, 2022: What is an IEHK?
Project HOPE’s initial response to the Ukraine crisis involves more than two tons of essential medicines and medical supplies that are being actively shipped to affected areas. These kits, known as Interagency Emergency Health Kits, are critical tools to help support clinics and health systems in an emergency, and each one can support 10,000 people for three months. So what is actually in them?
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.
February 24, 2022: Project HOPE Mobilizing Health and Humanitarian Assistance to Ukraine Crisis
Crisis in Ukraine: What You Need To Know
The latest:
- Millions of refugees have fled the Russian military incursion in Ukraine, including large crowds of women and children
- Civilian and medical worker deaths have been reported in Ukraine, and hospitals have been hit
- Project HOPE is on the ground and coordinating with local organizations in Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, and Romania to provide support inside Ukraine as well as in the surrounding countries
>> Jump to how you can help
>> Read our latest Situation Report on the Ukraine crisis
What is happening in Ukraine?
Conflict has broken out across Ukraine after a Russian military incursion began in the country early on the morning of February 24. Civilians and medical workers have been killed and millions of Ukrainians have fled home seeking safety. The UN is warning that Russia’s invasion into Ukraine could lead to a massive refugee crisis and widespread medical needs across Europe.
Russia’s incursion has prompted massive displacement, both within and outside Ukraine. Large waves of refugees have entered neighboring countries, especially Poland. Ukrainians near the conflict zones are lining up to access cash and fuel, and citizens are preparing for significant disruptions to supply chains, health care, and road access.
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 only 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. The Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the ongoing Donbas War in eastern Ukraine have led to an ongoing humanitarian crisis that has impacted some 3 million people. More than 10,000 civilians had been killed or injured and 1.4 million people internally displaced before the 2022 Russian invasion began.
What are the greatest needs in Ukraine?
The impact of fighting on lives and livelihoods has been staggering. Millions of Ukrainians have fled since the invasion, and Project HOPE’s medical director in Ukraine has described a “biblical-scale exodus from East to West.” As of May 5, one-third of Ukraine’s entire population has been displaced by the conflict.
As Project HOPE has noted in our border assessments in Romania, Poland, and Moldova, most refugees exiting the country are women, children, and some elderly residents. Our teams are seeing significant strains on host countries, especially Moldova and Poland.
Extensive damage to infrastructure—from schools and hospitals to gas and electricity lines—means those unable to leave have limited access to essential goods and services. In besieged cities, like Mariupol, relief organizations fear that death due to dehydration, hunger, and access to medicines is becoming a growing possibility for inhabitants.
Prior to the conflict, Russian and Ukraine supplied 30% of wheat and 20% of corn on the global markets. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Food Programme project that prolonged hostilities between the countries may spurn rises in global food prices. Such a development is even more worrisome considering that the Nutrition Cluster estimates that more than 2 million Ukrainian children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women are in need of life-saving nutrition assistance.
> PRESS RELEASE: Crisis in Ukraine Could Spiral Into Widespread Humanitarian Catastrophe
Project HOPE’s History in 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 focused on community mobilization for the country’s most at-risk populations.
From 2012-2017, Project HOPE helped improve the health of Ukrainians by enabling the Government of Ukraine to decrease the burden of TB and lower TB morbidity and mortality.
Project HOPE has a deep history of responding to humanitarian crises around the world, including the Venezuela crisis and recent Ethiopia conflict.
How you can help Ukraine
The war in Ukraine could displace millions of people and lead to a humanitarian catastrophe that impacts vulnerable women, children, and families. 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 medical supplies, and they are prepared to assist refugees with health screenings, mental health support, and medical care as the crisis unfolds. Please join our efforts by making a lifesaving gift to our Ukraine crisis response today.
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.